Craig Murray: A Very Peculiar Triumph
Consortium NewsNov 04, 2024
Taiwan on High Alert With 90 Chinese Ships Nearby
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Above: Two Taiwan made Kuang Hua VI class missile boats attend the Ministry National of Defense exercise outside the Zuoying navy harbor on Jan. 31, 2024. Image copyright: Wang Gang/Contributor/VCG via Getty Images
The Facts
Taiwan's military was on high alert on Monday after detecting around 90 Chinese vessels in its surrounding waters, two-thirds of which were said to be navy ships.
Taiwan said China also established seven zones of reserved airspace east of its Fujian and Zhejiang provinces — expected to remain in effect until Wednesday — while deploying military aircraft and four balloons near Taiwan.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry initiated combat readiness drills in response, activating an emergency center to monitor enemy threats, weather conditions, and tactical positioning.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
China's escalating "gray zone" tactics — cyberattacks, military drills, and coercive maneuvers — are designed to undermine Taiwan's defenses while avoiding open conflict, with Xi Jinping's centralized control and urgency to assert dominance over the island only heightening the risk of aggression. Despite uncertainties about the incoming Trump administration, the US must sustain military support and clarify red lines to counteract Beijing's threats.
Pro-China narrative
China's response to Taiwan's independence efforts is a justified defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity under the one-China principle. US support for separatist action through diplomatic "stopovers" undermines peace in the Taiwan Strait and destabilizes Sino-US relations. As the US continues to interfere both diplomatically and militarily, Beijing has every right to position its own defenses in the region.
