TAIPEI (TVBS News) — China launched of the "Joint Sword-2024A" (聯合利劍-2024A) military exercises on Thursday (May 23), targeting Taiwan, marking a significant escalation in its military posturing.
This series of exercises, identified by the inclusion of "A" in its name, suggests it is the first wave of maneuvers with more, possibly labeled B and C, expected to follow.
For the first time in recent years, the exercises have expanded to include Taiwan's outlying islands, indicating a broadening of the scope of the Chinese military's operational focus.
Analyzing the Implications
Chieh Chung (揭仲), a researcher at the Association of Strategic Foresight (中華戰略前瞻協會), analyzed the exercises' designation, "Joint Sword-2024A," suggesting that the "A" signifies the beginning of a series of maneuvers.
Chung further explained that incorporating the outlying islands into the exercises aims to underscore the comprehensive nature of military operations against Taiwan. This move follows two previous rounds of exercises around Taiwan in August 2022 and April 2023, which focused on "joint blockades" and "joint firepower strikes."
The inclusion of the outlying islands highlights their auxiliary role in the strategy for military aggression against Taiwan.
Strategic Messaging
According to Chung, the timing and nature of these exercises are not just a response to Lai Ching-te's presidential inauguration speech, but also a message to the U.S. government.
China's actions signal a warning to Washington that it must manage the Taiwan Strait issue more effectively, or else there will be no real risk-avoidance mechanism between Beijing and Washington.
