China Holds 'Search and Rescue' Drills in the Taiwan Strait

TaiwanPlus News

Three Chinese ships carried out what Beijing called ‘emergency search and rescue’ drills near Taiwan, an action Taiwan’s Coast Guard calls an example of Chinese gray-zone activity.

Transcript

00:00These photos from Chinese state media show what Beijing is calling an emergency search

00:04and rescue drill in the Taiwan Strait. But in Taiwan, a country that China threatens to invade,

00:10the Coast Guard is calling foul. They say Beijing misrepresented the ship's location to intimidate

00:14Taiwan, saying it was on the Taiwan bank. This portrayed the operation as being much closer to

00:19Taiwan's main island than it was. In reality, Taiwan's Coast Guard says the ships were near

00:24Chinese coastal waters, west of the median line that divides the Strait. Taiwan Coast Guard

00:36officials say it is an example of Chinese grey zone warfare, meaning hostile actions that fall short

00:41of conflict but seek to degrade Taiwan's defenses. Experts say Beijing may be trying to influence

00:46perceptions of what territory it controls.

00:48This weekend, Taiwan's defense ministry also said a Chinese balloon crossed much of the country's

00:58airspace before disappearing northwest of Jilong on Sunday. And Beijing announced week-long

01:03live fire exercises in the Bohai Strait and Yellow Sea amid rising tensions with Japan.

01:09All this comes just days after the recently released U.S. national security strategy called for measures

01:14to deter a military takeover of Taiwan or the South China Sea. Taken together, these developments

01:19underscore rising tensions in the region, with Taiwan, its neighbors, and the U.S. watching Beijing closely,

01:25all while being wary of actions or statements that mislead or misrepresent the situation.

01:30Devin Tsai and Larry Siano for Taiwan Plus.

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