taipei. Taiwan has urged China to exercise restraint in military exercises in the coming days as China prepares for a satellite launch on Thursday. The satellite launch vehicle is expected to pass through airspace near Taiwan. China will launch a satellite launch vehicle (SLV) from its Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a statement on Tuesday. Taiwan will celebrate its ‘National Day’ on Thursday itself.
According to MND, the SLV will head towards the Western Pacific, passing through Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). An ADIZ is a self-declared zone in which a country has the right to identify, detect and control foreign aircraft, but that is not part of its territorial airspace as defined by international law. During a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, Prime Minister Cho Jung-tae was asked by opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker Yeh Yuan-chieh whether the scheduled satellite launch could be part of the so-called ‘Combined Sword 2024B’ military exercises.
Media reports said China may begin military exercises near Taiwan after Taiwan’s National Day. In response, Cho said he hoped China would conduct military exercises within its jurisdiction, exercise restraint and avoid actions “that disrupt regional security and the security of the Indo-Pacific region.” “Taiwan will be ready,” Cho said. He said he would ask the Army to collect information about the launch and monitor the process so that it does not pose any threat to the public. He also pledged that the country will strengthen its security ahead of the National Day and people can rest assured about national security.