The People’s Republic of China (PRC) escalated military activities over the Taiwan Strait, flying 32 military aircraft across the median line as Republic of China (ROC) President Lai Ching-te visited Kinmen County to commemorate the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis.
The timing of the PRC’s actions suggests a deliberate signal of opposition to Lai’s attendance at the ceremony.
According to the Institute For War (IFW), Kinmen, a group of Taiwan-controlled islands with a significant military presence, is located just three kilometers from the PRC coast. Lai’s speech on August 23 marked the 66th anniversary of the 1958 artillery barrage by the PRC on Kinmen.
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Over two consecutive days, from August 22-23, the PRC flew the largest number of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft across the median line in August.
The IFW reported that the PRC also deployed two military drones around Taiwan on August 23, likely signaling its disapproval of any political moves that reinforce Taiwan’s sovereignty. The flights mirror previous PLA sorties into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone in response to similar developments.
Adding to the tension, four China Coast Guard (CCG) ships intruded into Kinmen’s restricted waters on August 21, marking the second incursion into Kinmen’s waters that week. The incursions appear linked to Lai’s visit and reflect the PRC’s ongoing efforts to assert its presence in waters under Taiwan’s jurisdiction.
In response to Lai’s visit, the PRC’s Taiwan Affairs Office criticized the ROC President, accusing him of exacerbating cross-strait tensions and promoting separatism. The PRC condemned Lai’s portrayal of the PRC as a threat and ridiculed his administration’s defense policies as wasteful and militaristic. The PRC’s criticism aimed to shift blame to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for rising tensions.
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Simultaneously, the PRC signaled an interest in resuming tourism to Kinmen County for residents of Fujian, potentially using economic incentives to influence public opinion in Taiwan. According to IFW, PRC officials met with Kinmen County representatives to discuss restoring tourism, which was suspended in 2019 due to deteriorating cross-strait relations and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PRC has recently resumed tourism to the Matsu Islands, another Taiwan-controlled territory, indicating a broader strategy of economic engagement with Taiwan’s outlying islands.
The PRC’s engagement with Kinmen KMT officials aligns with its strategy to portray the Kuomintang (KMT) as a stabilizing force in cross-strait relations, contrasting with its treatment of the DPP. The PRC has a history of making conciliatory gestures after meetings with KMT officials, reflecting its preference for the opposition party in Taiwan’s internal politics.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau is probing a former PC manufacturing executive, Chen Yu, for allegedly poaching Taiwanese IT workers for a joint venture with a PRC state-owned enterprise. This case underscores ongoing concerns about PRC efforts to undermine Taiwan’s security through economic and technological infiltration.
As tensions escalate, the situation in the Taiwan Strait remains volatile, with the PRC’s military actions and diplomatic maneuvers intensifying the already strained cross-strait relations.
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