Zhenlin Cui
On December 29, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China announced the commencement of a large-scale military exercise around Taiwan. While the specific motives remain unclear, it is widely believed within Taiwan that this may be a response to the diplomatic tensions between China and Japan caused by Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s remarks about Taiwan in November, as well as the recently approved U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. However, the timing of this exercise is still somewhat surprising, especially considering the Shanghai-Taipei City Forum had been held just one day prior.
Because Beijing has consistently refused direct dialogue with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), in power since 2016, the city-to-city forum, a political legacy of Ma Ying-jeou’s administration, has become the de facto highest-level regular exchange mechanism between mainland China and Taiwan. Although the forum has been used by the DPP as a pretext to criticize the KMT, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an still visited Shanghai despite the pressure. This sudden military exercise, starting so soon after his trip, undoubtedly represents a heavy blow to the KMT’s image.
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