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China broke his silence on Friday days of increased military activity around the island Taiwansaying it was up to Beijing to decide whether to hold the exercises.
Troubled Taiwan set up a “response center” this week. follow Chinese exercises near the self-governing island after Beijing deployed its largest naval fleet in nearly three decades in the waters around the island.
Taiwan said on Friday that nine Chinese coast guard ships had departed, apparently marking the end of exercises that simulated a blockade with one line of ships in front of the island and another further out to sea.
When asked about the exercises, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense responded with a quote from Sun Tzu The Art of Waran ancient Chinese text on military strategy.
Wu Qian quoted, “Just as water does not retain a constant form, so there are no constant conditions in war.”
He added: “Whether or not we hold exercises and when we hold them is up to us to decide for ourselves according to our own needs and combat situation.”
China deployed about 90 navy and coast guard ships around the island as Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te embarked on a diplomatic tour that included a stop in the US.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry asked Beijing on Wednesday to “immediately stop military intimidation and all irrational activities” that threaten regional stability.
Beijing claims that Taiwan is a breakaway province and routinely conducts exercises around the island. China has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Over the past four years, Beijing has carried out a series of simulated attacks on the island, ranging from missile bombing to sea and air blockades.
China’s silence on its military activity this week stood in stark contrast to previous drills around Taiwan, which state media typically report with dramatic graphics and images and see as a public show of force aimed at the island’s government.
A Chinese spokesman did not explicitly call this week’s activity drills, but said: “Preserving national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and the common interests of compatriots across the Taiwan Strait are (military) sacred duties.
“Whether or not it holds exercises, the People’s Liberation Army will not be absent or soft-hearted when it comes to tearing down (Taiwan’s) ‘independence’ and advocating for unification,” he said.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Friday it had spotted only 12 Chinese military aircraft operating nearby in the past 24 hours, down from 34 reported the previous day.