Chinese exercise is part of two-pronged approachCARROT AND STICK: The exercise likely complements a strategy operating against Taiwan on several different levels, enticing and intimidating by turnsStaff writer, with CNAThe so-called “justice” behind the military exercise launched by China yesterday around Taiwan is absurd, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Photo: Taipei Times file photodimensional deterrence outside the island chain,” a senior PLA officer said in a statement yesterday. The MAC yesterday said the actions of the Chinese Communist Party contradict its proclaimed “global peace initiative,” highlighting its hegemonic nature and intent to change the “status quo.”The MAC said that the military exercises were launched one day after the Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum, indicating that China was engaging in “a carefully orchestrated two-pronged strategy.”“On one hand, it talks about getting closer, while on the other it resorts to military intimidation,” the MAC said. Beijing is a “troublemaker” and a threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it said, adding the PLA’s show of force was unacceptable to the people of Taiwan and to the international community. The Twin-City Forum is an annual event that has been held since 2010 to promote city-to-city exchanges between Taipei and Shanghai, with the two cities alternating as host.

Source: Taipei Times December 29, 2025 16:45 UTC