Taiwan asserts that implementing a Chinese blockade wouldconstitute an act of war.
Over the past five years, China, asserting Taiwan as its own territory, has conductedly carried out near-daily military practices around the island. These exercises have included war games simulating blockades and attacks on ports. Taiwan's government strongly opposes Beijing's territorial claims.
Recently, during their weekly exercises, Chinese forces simulated blocking crucial ports and areas, and launching attacks on both maritime and land targets. This information was shared by Beijing.
Speaking to journalists at parliament, Koo clarified that while the exercise zone was defined by the "Joint Sword-2024B," there were no imposed flight or sail restrictions.
"If you truly intend to impose a blockade," Koo explained, "according to international law, it entails prohibiting all air and sea traffic in the area. Under UN resolutions, such action is considered an act of war."
Emphasizing the distinction between military drills and a blockade, Koo also highlighted that the international community would likely intervene if a blockade were imposed, given that approximately 20% of global freight transits through the Taiwan Strait.
Although these military maneuvers last for just 24 hours, Chinese military activities in the region persist. China has never disavowed the use of force to assert control over Taiwan.
Earlier this week, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported that a Chinese carrier group, led by the Liaoning, the eldest of China's three aircraft carriers, navigated through the Taiwan Strait, traveling towards the northern side after passing near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas islands.
Koo pointed out that the Liaoning was heading towards the western side of the median line, a fictional barrier between the two sides that China denies acknowledging.
China's Defense Ministry declined to comment on the matter. The Liaoning took part in the same Chinese war games near Taiwan last week.
At the time, Taiwan announced that the Liaoning was operating off the island's southeast coast during those exercises, launching aircraft from its deck. Earlier last month, Japan reported that the same carrier had entered Japanese waters for the first time.
China has previously sailed its carriers through the Taiwan Strait, including in December before Taiwan held elections. China asserts sole authority over the nearly 180-kilometer (110-mile) wide waterway, which is a significant transportation route for global trade. Both Taiwan and the U.S. challenge this claim, maintaining that the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway.
The U.S. Navy regularly sails through the strait to assert its freedom of navigation rights. Other allied nations, including Canada, Germany, and Britain, have also conducted similar missions, infuriating Beijing.
Taiwan has expressed concern over China's recent use of its coast guard in war games and is particularly wary of the possibility of Taiwanese civilian ships being boarded and inspected to assert China's legal authority in the strait.
In response, Taiwan's coast guard stated in a report to parliament that its ships would respond according to the principle of "neither provoking nor backing down" and take necessary action to stop such acts "with all its strength."
China's military activities in the region extend beyond these brief exercises, as it maintains a firm stance on asserting control over Taiwan. According to UN resolutions, a blockade of the Taiwan Strait, which carries around 20% of global freight, would be considered an act of war due to its implications on international trade and air traffic.
