Taiwan: Chinese blockade would be act of war
TAIPEI—A real Chinese blockade of Taiwan would be an act of war and have far-reaching consequences for international trade, defense minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday after drills by China last week practiced such a scenario.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has over the past five years staged almost daily military activities around the island, including war games that have practiced blockades and attacks on ports.
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
China’s latest war games around the island, carried out last week, included simulating blockading key ports and areas, and assaulting maritime and ground targets, Beijing said.
Speaking to reporters at parliament, Koo noted that while those “Joint Sword-2024B” delineated the exercise area, there were no no-flight or no-sail zones.
“If you really want to carry out a so-called blockade, which according to international law is to prohibit all aircraft and ships entering the area, then according to United Nations resolutions it is regarded as a form of war,” he said.
“I want to stress that drills and exercises are totally different from a blockade, as would be the impact on the international community.”
Pointing to data that showed one-fifth of global freight passed through the Taiwan Strait, a blockade would have consequences beyond Taiwan, Koo said.
“The international community could not sit by and just watch.”
Carrier in the strait
While those war games last only a day, Chinese military activity has continued. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said earlier on Wednesday that a Chinese aircraft carrier group sailed through the Taiwan Strait, traveling in a northerly direction after passing through waters near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas islands.
The ministry said the Chinese ships, led by Liaoning, the oldest of China’s three aircraft carriers, were spotted on Tuesday night, and its forces monitored the fleet.
The Pratas are at the northern end of the South China Sea.
