A Praying Mantis Trying to Stop a Chariot

That’s how Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi vividly described the actions of Taiwanese separatists obstructing the motherland’s reunification

It appears that we are witnessing increased military activity in and around Taiwan, accompanied by more heated rhetoric from both Beijing and Taipei. On March 19, Taiwan’s military reported the approach of another group of mainland aircraft and ships. «At 6:00 a.m. local time, 18 PLA Air Force aircraft and seven PLA Navy vessels were detected operating around Taiwan. Of these 18 aircraft, 13 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone», TASS reported, citing Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.

Beijing said the move was in response to recent «war games» conducted by the Taiwanese military, as well as ongoing separatist activities on the island. In reality, such maneuvers are hardly unusual: they occur almost weekly. Moreover, from China’s perspective, there is no «air defense identification zone» because Taiwan is considered a province of the PRC — so Chinese planes and ships can go wherever the PLA command directs.

A peculiarity of this latest round of Taiwanese separatist military exercises — typically focused on «repulsing a mainland invasion» — is that Taiwan’s «Ministry of National Defense» simultaneously announced 2027 as a possible year for a Chinese attack. Observers believe the move is aimed at influencing the legislature, which is being asked to approve additional defense spending. The opposition, however, remains unconvinced of a genuine Chinese military threat and is reluctant to meet the ministry’s increased demands. It’s worth noting that the U.S. Department of Defense has also previously cited 2027 as a likely date, given President Xi Jinping’s directive to build a «modern military» by that date.

Not long ago, Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT, which serves as a de facto U.S. embassy), told the Liberty Times that Washington will refocus on Taiwan’s military needs once the conflict in Ukraine ends. According to Greene, the U.S. is currently trying to expedite arms deliveries to the island, even though its defense industry is nearing capacity supplying Ukraine and Israel.

Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump believes that there will be no Chinese invasion of Taiwan as long as Xi Jinping remains China’s leader. If the island really fears such a prospect, it should pay more for its own security, he added.

His comment came just one day after the conclusion of China’s annual «two sessions» (the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference). At a press conference, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated that reunification with Taiwan cannot be stopped and that any attempt to contain China by using the island «is doomed to fail». As he put it, «Attempts to ‘use Taiwan to contain China’ are like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot: ultimately, China will inevitably be unified. Taiwan never was and never will be a country. Calling for ‘Taiwan independence’ means splitting the country; supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ means interfering in China’s internal affairs».

In its regular briefings, the Chinese Foreign Ministry emphasizes that the Taiwan issue is central to China’s core interests and constitutes the primary «red line» in U.S.-China relations — one that must not be crossed. It also vehemently opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing says violate the «one China» principle and the three joint U.S.-China communiques. Such sales, the Foreign Ministry argues, seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and security and endanger peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. China therefore urges the United States to stop creating tension in the Strait and endangering regional peace and security, as Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reiterated at a briefing last week.

During the recent «incursions» by PLA ships and aircraft, Taiwan’s military managed to photograph China’s latest attack drones. In fact, it has become routine for the Chinese Ministry of Defense to test its latest technology in the region. Videos can be found online showing large swarms of drones in action — hundreds and hundreds of UAVs, guided by artificial intelligence, flying toward their targets in such dense clusters that they darken the sky.

In short, China has a variety of means to impress its compatriots in Taiwan. These displays are apparently aimed at demoralizing the separatists and encouraging a voluntary surrender, thereby returning the island to the «embrace of the motherland». As Wang Huning, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the fourth most powerful figure in China’s leadership, puts it, it is necessary to «create the inevitability of national reunification».

So far, however, we see little progress toward that goal. Not long ago, Taiwan’s leader, Lai Ching-te, officially called the PRC a «foreign power threatening the island». In response, the People’s Daily, China’s leading newspaper, branded Lai a «cornered dog».