TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China launched military exercises around Taiwan on Monday in response to President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) recent comments and changes to the US State Department fact sheet on the country.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office Spokesperson Chen Binhua (陳斌華) claimed the exercises were “just and necessary” to ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Chen claimed they were also held to counter Lai's "act to propagate separatist fallacies aimed at ‘Taiwan independence’ and his act to escalate tensions and confrontation across the Strait."

Chen said Taiwan independence and Taiwan Strait peace are “as irreconcilable as fire and water.” Chen alleged that Lai had "obstinately stuck to a separatist ‘Taiwan independence’ stance" and criticized him for tightening restrictions on cross-strait exchanges. 

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) said the US State Department “gravely backpedaled” on its position on Taiwan by removing wording opposing Taiwan independence from its fact sheet in February. Mao claimed this was an “egregious example of the US's intention of using Taiwan to contain China” and said Beijing's “relevant military operation” was necessary to defend national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. 

Mao said these actions were a “firm response to external forces who are hellbent on abetting and aiding ‘Taiwan independence’" and a “warning to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces’ unconscionable acts.” She urged the US to “stop crossing the line and making provocations, handle the Taiwan question with extra prudence,” and avoid further damage to China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

MOFA responded that China's claims about the State Department fact sheet were false. It condemned “China's despicable behavior of using military actions around the Taiwan Strait to undermine the current peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait" while hypocritically accusing others and taking advantage of the situation to smear Taiwan-US relations.

The ministry said that the updates made to the fact sheet on Feb. 13 reflect the current situation and long-term position of successive US administrations. It said China cannot claim to seek stability while, in reality, continuing to take provocative actions that undermine peace and stability.

On Tuesday, the MND announced that 59 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN ships were detected around Taiwan from 6 a.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday. Of these aircraft, 43 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, central, southwestern, and eastern ADIZ, while two Chinese balloons were tracked north of the country.