As the first National Day since President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) took office approaches, senior national security officials have determined that China is likely to conduct another round of military exercises around the island that day, including possibly launching a carrier rocket through Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
In May, China conducted “Joint Sword - 2024A” drills around Taiwan. Foreign media Reuters recently quoted Taiwanese officials as saying that China may use President Lai’s National Day speech as a pretext for launching a related series of drills. Regarding these comments, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said on Tuesday that China will likely continue to express displeasure in similar ways on Taiwan’s National Day until they accept the fact of its existence as a sovereign nation.
Cho added that he hopes China will keep to the range under its jurisdiction and refrain from actions that undermine the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific Region. As for whether the National Security Council (NSC) will be convened, Cho said the president has yet to make a decision, and noted that national defense and security monitoring measures will be heightened in the coming days.
Questioned further by KMT legislator Yeh Yuan-chih (葉元之), who was concerned about the possible intrusion into Taiwanese airspace, Cho responded that the government is closely monitoring the potential for a “Joint Sword - 2024B” series of drills. He said that he could not disclose details about response measures, but emphasized that China’s activities will not pose any threat to Taiwan.