Roving Periscope: As jingoists push China, Taiwan prepares for attack

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: As the phantom of jingoism, which Beijing awakened against Taipei, pushes China into a zero-sum game against Taiwan, a la Russia in Ukraine, the self-ruled island is preparing for ‘D-day.’

On Tuesday, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu claimed that China was encircling his island nation with air and sea maneuvers to prepare for an invasion and alter the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific Region. China claims Taiwan as its territory.

“China has used the drills and its military playbook to prepare for the invasion of Taiwan,” Wu told a press conference in Taipei. “China’s real intention is to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the entire region.”

He said the threat from China to Taiwan is “more serious than ever,” but the island will resolutely defend its independence and democracy.

Angrily responding with a four-day show of brute military force against US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last week, China has continued its military exercises surrounding the independent island. The media reported that it was China’s first-ever air and naval exercise around Taiwan.

Pelosi is the third highest-ranking US official and the first to visit the autonomous island in decades. “(China) cannot dictate to Taiwan that we should welcome no one who likes to come and show support for Taiwan,” said Wu.

Responding to relentless and extensive Chinese war rehearsals, Taiwan’s military conducted a live-fire artillery drill simulating an island defense against an attack.

The ultranationalist, even jingoist, fires that China lit at home to divert its people’s attention away from domestic problems. The recessionary economy may become its nemesis as it pushes the Communist misadventure against Taiwan.

Since Pelosi met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen, Chinese social media mocked the American visitor as an “old lady” and blamed Taipei for allegedly lobbying to invite the US official.

Angry Chinese jingoists even asked their government why the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) failed to shoot down Pelosi’s aircraft.

As soon as Pelosi departed from Taipei, the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command launched a military exercise around Taiwan, which appeared like a simulated attack. The hashtag “The Eastern Theater has started a series of joint military operations” was viewed over 530 million times on Chinese social media giant Weibo.

Multiple Chinese political and military bodies also condemned Pelosi’s visit as ‘eroding the consensus of One-China policy,’ Beijing went ahead with its coercive policy of verbal attacks to trigger panic in Taipei.

The PLA broadcast the entire military exercise through videos of jets flying close to Taiwanese territory, missiles flying into the Taiwan Strait, and the PLA Navy crossing the median line. The military propaganda is part of Beijing’s deterrence strategy vis-à-vis Taiwan and neighboring countries.

Five ballistic missiles also landed in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, raising concerns among Japanese defense officials about the potential impact of PLA’s war gaming on actual Taiwan contingency.

Over 207 PLA aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace since August 2, crossing the ‘median line’ between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, which is considered the artificial defense barrier.

A PLA expert described the purpose of the exercise as the ‘reunification’ of Taiwan with the mainland. “Finally, the exercise creates conditions for the early realization of national reunification in the future,” said Meng Xiangqing, Professor at the National Defense University, during a widely watched Chinese state-controlled TV broadcast.

The extent of Chinese jingoism, which may slip out of control of the Communist government, was visible on social media. The hashtag “PLA will launch a series of targeted military operations” was viewed over 2.5 billion times on Weibo. Another, “Only One China,” was viewed over 2 billion times in the past few days.

Besides the military exercise, cyber attacks hit Taiwan’s critical digital networks, attributed to addresses originating in China and Russia.

Emulating its earlier feeble steps against the US and Australia, Beijing also suspended the import of 100 Taiwanese goods to impose an economic cost on Taipei. The Chinese foreign ministry canceled three high-level meetings with the US officials and suspended many others. The media reported that high-ranking Chinese military officials didn’t pick up US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin’s phone calls on Friday last.

President Tsai called Beijing’s live-fire drills ‘irresponsible.’ “We strive to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and always keep an open mind for constructive dialogues.”

Even Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang Party, which has sought to establish ties with Beijing, condemned the military exercise surrounding Taiwan.

Despite the flurry of commentary on Chinese social media and the rise in rhetoric on Chinese state television, the Taiwanese newspapers only gave brief coverage of the military exercises around Taiwan.

Experts said Beijing was forced to react to the Pelosi visit with an extensive military exercise because the domestic sentiment demanded leaders match actions with words.