Taiwan Bracing For Xi Jinping's Army's 'Sudden Entry,' Says Defence Minister: 'They Would Use Force…'

Taiwan’s Defence Minister warned that Chinese President Xi Jinping could use force and is preparing to pressure the island nation to accept its sovereignty claims

What Happened: Chiu Kuo Cheng, on Monday, said that Taipei has to be on alert this year for a “sudden entry” by the Chinese army into areas close to its territory as tensions across the Taiwan Strait mount, reported Reuters.

Cheng said the Chinese military might make a “sudden entry” into Taipei's contiguous zone and get close to its territorial space. 

See Also: China Says US Hurting ‘Its Own Credibility' By Rehashing COVID-19 Lab-Leak Theory: ‘Respect Science And Facts'

“(I) specifically make these comments this year, meaning they are making such preparations,” Chiu said, adding, “Looking forward, they would use force if they really have to.”

Chiu added that Beijing is looking to “make trouble under a certain pretext,” which might include visits made to the self-governed nation by foreign senior party officials or Taiwan’s frequent military contacts with other countries.

These comments from Chiu came at a time when Xi's government has been ramping up military and political pressure to try and get Taipei to accept Beijing’s sovereignty, including staging war games near the island and warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense zone.

Last week, Taiwan reported large-scale Chinese air force incursions for two days in a row into its air defense identification zone.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Europe and Asia coverage by following this link.

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Comments
Loading...
Posted In: NewsPoliticsGlobalGeneralChina-Taiwan crisisEurasiaXi Jinping
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!