China claims Taiwan as part of its own territory and has refused to rule out using force to bring the island under its control. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

China deployed fighter jets and drones as part of a “joint combat readiness patrol” around Taiwan on Sunday (October 27, 2024), Taipei said, hours after Beijing slammed the latest round of US arms sales to the island.

The U.S. State Department on Friday (October 25, 2024) approved a $2 billion arms sale package for Taiwan, including advanced surface-to-air missile systems and radar. The deal awaits approval by Congress.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it detected 19 Chinese aircraft on Sunday (October 27, 2024), including fighter jets and drones, near the island over a nearly four-hour period as part of Beijing’s “joint combat readiness patrol” with warships.

It was the third such patrol reported by Taiwan’s Defence Ministry this month.

“Taiwan’s Military closely monitored the situation with joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, deploying aircraft, naval vessels, and shore-based missile systems as an appropriate response,” the Ministry said.

It came a day after Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said the latest arms package “seriously violates China’s sovereignty and security interests, seriously damages China-U.S. relations, and endangers peace and stability” in the strait.

“China strongly condemns and firmly opposes it and has lodged solemn representations with the U.S.,” a Ministry spokesperson said in a statement late Saturday (October 26, 2024).

It added that Beijing would “take all necessary measures to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity”.

Taipei’s Defence Ministry expressed its “sincere gratitude” for the sale on Saturday (October 26, 2024), saying it would “help the Military continue to improve its defence resilience and jointly maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.

China claims Taiwan as part of its own territory and has refused to rule out using force to bring the island under its control.

Beijing maintains a near-daily presence of fighter jets, drones and warships around the democratic island, and held large-scale war games in its vicinity this month.

Earlier this month, Taiwan detected a record 153 Chinese aircraft in one day.

The U.S. is Taipei’s key partner and provider of weapons despite having no official diplomatic ties with the democratic island.

In September, Beijing sanctioned U.S. defence companies in retaliation for Washington’s approval of the sale of military equipment to Taiwan.

A supporter of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds a sign to support Taiwan’s independence during the vote for the Parliament reform bill in Taipei on May 28, 2024. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

China included the death penalty for “particularly serious” cases among judicial guidelines on criminal punishments for “diehard” supporters of Taiwanese independence published on June 21, state media reported.

Beijing views democratic Taiwan as part of its own territory and has refused to renounce using force to unify with the self-ruled island one day.

It has stepped up pressure on Taipei in recent years and held war games around the island last month following the inauguration of its new leader Lai Ching-te.

State news agency Xinhua said on Friday Beijing had released a notice about punishing “Taiwan independence’ diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession”.

It said the notice specified the death penalty for “ringleaders” of independence efforts who “cause particularly serious harm to the state and the people”.

Other leading advocates could face jail terms ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment, the notice said, according to Xinhua.

Taipei hit back swiftly, saying Beijing “has no legal jurisdiction at all over Taiwan” and that the rules “had no binding force on our people”.

“The actions of the Beijing authorities will only provoke confrontation between the peoples across the Taiwan Strait… and are not conducive to positive developments in cross-Strait ties,” the island’s Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement.

‘Sharp sword’

According to Xinhua, Beijing’s notice targets those who form “secessionist organisations” or direct people to “carry out activities that split the state”.

It also takes aim at attempts to “change Taiwan’s legal status as a part of China”, promote exchanges between Taiwan and sovereign nations, or “distort or falsify the fact that Taiwan is part of China in the fields of education, culture, history (or) news media”.

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The rules take effect in China from Friday, Xinhua said.

Top security official Sun Ping told a news briefing in Beijing on Friday that the guidelines meant “the sharp sword of legal action will always hang high” over alleged secessionists, the state-run People’s Daily reported.

Mr. Sun said the rules “do not target most Taiwanese compatriots, only an extremely small minority” of independence advocates, according to the newspaper.

Mr. Lai, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party who took office on May 20, has hewn closely to the position of his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen that Taiwan is effectively already independent and so has no need to declare it formally.

Beijing has branded Mr. Lai a “dangerous separatist” and has not conducted top-level communications with Taipei since 2016.

It continues to maintain a near-daily presence of naval vessels and warplanes around Taiwan and held three-day drills last month dubbed Joint Sword-2024A that it said were a test of its ability to seize control of the island.