TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said that China’s latest military drills on Monday (Oct. 14) backfired because they caused more condemnation from the international community.
Tsai said on Wednesday (Oct. 16) that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) "Joint Sword-2024B" military exercise around Taiwan had negative side effects for China, per CNA. He said the drills made the world more supportive of Taiwan.
Tsai added the drills, purportedly in response to President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) National Day speech, were shorter and smaller in scale than similar large-scale drills in May after Lai's inaugural address.
According to a Chinese foreign ministry statement, “The drill also serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces. It is a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding state sovereignty and national unity.”
Tsai cited several international statements condemning China to argue that its actions backfired. For example, Tsai said the US Department of Defense issued a statement denouncing China’s military pressure operation as “irresponsible, disproportionate, and destabilizing.”
Tsai added China engaged in cognitive warfare by spreading false information on the internet during the drills. He said Taiwan was able to disseminate information, conduct traceability searches, and report various cognitive operations to relevant units for clarification and response.