China flexes its military muscles in the Taiwan Strait almost every day. Taiwan’s new president is demanding that Beijing put an end to the practice. Read more about the conflict between China and Taiwan in the ticker.

Monday, May 20th, 7:49 a.m.: Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te called on China to end intimidation attempts against the island republic in his inaugural speech. “I would also like to call on China to stop its political and military intimidation against Taiwan,” the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politician, sworn in on Monday, told thousands of supporters in Taipei. China should share the responsibility with Taiwan to maintain peace and stability in the strait between the two countries (Taiwan Strait) and the surrounding region.

The future of relations in the Taiwan Strait between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, will have a decisive influence on the world. His government will neither give in nor provoke and will maintain the status quo, said the 64-year-old politician. This means that Taiwan should remain an independent country.

Sunday, May 19th, 5:31 p.m.: Taiwan’s elected President Lai Ching-te will be inaugurated with his government in the capital Taipei this Monday. The ceremony for the current vice president is scheduled for the morning (local time). Lai succeeds his party colleague Tsai Ing-wen, who is no longer allowed to run after two terms in office. On January 13th, the 64-year-old doctor clearly won the presidential election for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). However, in the parallel parliamentary elections, the center-left party lost its absolute majority and is now dependent on alliances.

The inauguration, including Lai’s speech, is likely to be closely watched, especially by its powerful neighbor China. Beijing sees the DPP and its president as separatist because the party supports Taiwanese independence. The ruling Chinese Communist Party under state and party leader Xi Jinping counts Taiwan as part of its territory and wants to unite it with the mainland – if necessary with military means. Lai has so far not promised an official proclamation of Taiwan’s independence, but has advocated maintaining the status quo – i.e. Taiwan, with its more than 23 million inhabitants, should remain an independent country.

51 delegations from various countries are expected at the inauguration, including a group from the German Bundestag. As an important ally of Taiwan, the USA is also sending a cross-party group to Taipei, as has been the case at previous inaugurations.

6.11 p.m.: The United States, Taiwan’s main defense partner, is sending a bipartisan delegation to the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te, who was elected in January. The group, which includes former U.S. government officials, will arrive in Taipei this weekend, a senior U.S. government official in Washington announced in advance.

The previous Vice President Lai from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will be inaugurated next Monday (May 20th). The visit is likely to anger China, as previous occasions have shown. Beijing sees the democratically governed island as part of the People’s Republic and is threatening to conquer it by force.

China sees the island as a breakaway province, although the ruling Communist Party in Beijing has never governed Taiwan. The USA has repeatedly supplied weapons to the island republic with more than 23 million inhabitants, which has been governed democratically for decades. China wants to unite Taiwan with the mainland and regularly demonstrates its military power in the strait between the two countries (Taiwan Strait).

On January 13, center-left candidate Lai won a clear victory in the presidential election with around 40 percent of the vote. The DPP has lost its majority in parliament and is now dependent on cooperation.

Delegations from the USA have also traveled to previous inaugurations, said the US government representative. US President Joe Biden has already sent three delegations of former government employees to Taiwan during his term in office, most recently immediately after the election in January this year.

The US government representative emphasized that Washington did not want to change the status quo. However, independence for Taiwan is not supported. In doing so, she reiterated the government’s position, which supports dialogue between Taipei and Beijing and expects differences to be resolved peacefully and without coercion. If Taiwan officially declares independence, that would be a reason for Beijing to escalate the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

The Taiwan issue is sensitive for Washington because an escalation in the region would drag the United States into a conflict through its commitment to help Taipei defend itself. From China’s perspective, a “red line” would then have been crossed.

Wednesday, May 15, 5:32 a.m.: A few days before the inauguration of Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te, China sent more than 40 fighter jets towards the East Asian island republic. In the past 24 hours, 45 aircraft were registered near the island, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday morning (local time) in Taipei. It was the highest number of fighter jets so far this year, after the previous high of 36 aircraft was registered in March. China sends military planes to Taiwan almost every day.

According to the ministry, 26 aircraft this time flew over the median line in the strait between Taiwan and China (Taiwan Strait) and entered the Taiwanese air defense zone north and southwest of the island. The Taiwanese military always has to react to this and in such cases raises its air force. Authorities also discovered six Chinese warships around the island.

There was initially no official reason for the increased number of Chinese military aircraft. Next Monday, however, Taiwan’s new president, Lai, will be inaugurated. The current vice president won the election in January for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is extremely unpopular in Beijing.

Sunday, May 12, 2024, 10:09 a.m.: Against the background of increasing tensions in the South China Sea, China reacted with sharp words on Friday to the passage of a US Navy ship near a disputed group of islands. “The U.S. actions seriously violate Chinese sovereignty and security,” military spokesman Tian Junli said Friday. The USA is thereby creating “security risks in the South China Sea” and is the “biggest destroyer of peace and stability in the region”.

According to military spokesman Tian, ​​the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey entered Chinese territorial waters near the Xisha Islands “illegally and without permission from Chinese authorities.” “Xisha Islands” is the Chinese term for the Paracel Islands. China sent naval and air force forces to “track and monitor” the ship “in accordance with laws and regulations” and they “issued an alert to redirect it away.”

The US Navy confirmed the ship’s passage, saying it had “asserted navigation rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands.” “Unlawful and expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to freedom of the seas,” it said.

China has established a number of military bases on the Paracel Islands, although Vietnam and Taiwan also lay claim to the island chain. The USA and its allies repeatedly send warships to the region to reinforce their claim to free passage.

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese air force held a military exercise in the Penghu Islands, which are located a few kilometers from the Chinese coast and are administered by Taiwan. Several fighter jets fired live ammunition, including missiles and US-made laser-guided bombs, according to video footage distributed by the Taiwan military news agency. These were “routine exercises” for the fighter jet pilots in which they practiced their “skills for precision strikes in air combat”.

The exercises come ten days before the inauguration of Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te, who won the election in January – and whom Beijing describes as a “dangerous separatist.” China views Taiwan as a breakaway province that will be reunited with the mainland should – if necessary with military force. In recent years, China has increased its pressure on Taiwan, regularly sending fighter jets and warships near the island.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and the US concluded joint military exercises in areas near disputed maritime areas. The so-called Balikatan exercises (“shoulder to shoulder” in the language widely spoken in the Philippines, Tagalog), took place on January 22nd.

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