China holds large scale military drills by sending warplanes & navy vessels toward Taiwan

China has conducted a large military drill near Taiwan, sending 57 warplanes, including heavy bombers and advanced fighter jets, to the region in the 24 hours through Monday morning, as per a report from Japan Times. The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said in a statement that the joint exercise focused on practicing "realistic combat-oriented" land and sea strikes around Taiwan and was designed "to test the troops' joint combat capability and resolutely counter the collusive and provocative acts of the external forces and the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces". 

Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported that 28 of the Chinese warplanes entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone, while two H-6 bombers, which are capable of carrying nuclear bombs, flew south of the island with escorting fighter jets. A map provided by the ministry showed that several of the aircraft also crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the unofficial buffer between China and Taiwan. The latest military drill comes just days after the swearing-in of new U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, an avowed China hawk who has pledged to visit Taiwan, much to the anger of Beijing.

China's exercises a message to new US Speaker?

According to some analysts cited in the Japan Times report, Chinese military exercises may be a reaction to the U.S. Navy's dispatch of a guided-missile destroyer through the Taiwan Strait, or a message to McCarthy. China considers Taiwan to be one of its unassailable "core interests" and has repeatedly stated that it will not renounce the use of force to bring the democratic island back under its control. Late last month, China conducted a similar military drill around Taiwan, sending 71 warplanes, including dozens of fighter jets, in one of the biggest incursions to date. 43 of these aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

The flights over the median line, which China had rarely crossed in the past, have raised concerns of a possible miscalculation spiraling into conflict. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan acknowledged the risk of war over Taiwan last week, but said that it was the duty of both Washington and Beijing to ensure that such a contingency never comes to pass. Taiwan's presidential office condemned the latest military exercises, calling on both Beijing and Taipei to ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. It reiterated Taiwan's position that it will not escalate conflicts or provoke disputes, but will firmly defend its sovereignty. Security in the region remains "very clear", according to the presidential office. The military drills have also highlighted the deteriorating relations between China and the United States. Sino-US ties have reached new lows in recent years, and McCarthy is expected to continue Washington's tough stance on China as House leader.

China's military exercises comes after Taiwan's decision to bolster its defence 

Taiwan recently announced that it will reinstate conscription for men over the age of 18, requiring them to serve a full year in the military rather than the current four months. The new policy will be phased in over the year and will apply to males born on or after January 1, 2005. The move has been motivated in part by the strong resistance demonstrated by Ukraine against the Russian military for over 300 days, which Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen said was due in large part to Ukraine's readiness.

Taiwan has long faced pressure from China, which considers the democratically-ruled island to be one of its unassailable "core interests" that must be brought back into the fold, by force if necessary. In recent years, China has increased its force projection capabilities, leading to concerns about Taiwan's ability to defend itself. Taiwan's leadership has responded by increasing scrutiny of weapons and tactics and by expanding the length of conscription. Taipei is reportedly studying the examples of countries such as Sweden, Norway, and Israel, which maintain conscription in order to increase the size of their active armies.

In addition to the longer period of service, Taiwan has also announced that it will increase the basic monthly pay for conscripts from around $212 to almost $662. As per a report from Fox news, the decision to reinstate conscription has not been without controversy, with some arguing that a one year program is not sufficient and that the money would be better spent on professional soldiers. Others have suggested that a discussion on mandatory training for women could also be a useful next step.