Taiwan to China: Leave right away!

Taiwan’s coast guards told their Chinese counterparts that entered the island’s “restricted waters” to leave right away on Thursday as China conducted military drills around what Beijing regards as a renegade province.

“Your movements affect our country’s order and safety, please turn away and leave our restricted waters as soon as possible,” a Taiwanese coast guard officer said over a loudspeaker, according to a video of the encounter released by Taipei.

“Leave right away, leave right away!”

The orders were for two Chinese coast guard ships that sailed into the “restricted waters of Dongyin” at 7:48 a.m., while another was outside the restricted zone to “provide support,” Taiwan’s coast guard said.

The ships left waters off Dongyin — around 160 kilometers from Taiwan’s northern tip — about an hour later.

The same warning was given to two Chinese ships detected in restricted waters around Wuqiu, about 130 kilometers from Taiwan’s western coast. The vessels left at around 8:45 a.m.

Taipei’s defense ministry said fighter jets also took off from a Taiwan airbase Thursday as the self-ruled island dispatched aerial and naval forces in response to the

two-day war games dubbed “Joint Sword-2024A.”

Beijing said the drills were conducted as punishment for Taiwan after the island swore in new President Lai Ching-te, who said in his inaugural speech on Monday that Taiwan “must demonstrate our resolution to defend our nation.”

China — which claims Taiwan as part of its territory — has denounced Lai’s speech as a “confession of independence.”

A Chinese military expert told CCTV that the drills were partly aimed at rehearsing an economic blockade of the island.

Zhang Chi, a professor at Beijing’s China National Defense University, said the drills aimed to “strangle” Taiwan’s critical Kaohsiung port to “severely impact” its foreign trade.