The massive “Joint Sword” operation that China launched yesterday in response to President Lai’s remarks about Taiwan’s “non-subordination” in his October 10 speech was quickly shelved. The rhetoric about “unification” that proliferated yesterday Weibo It has also returned to the arsenals. For its part, Chunghwa Telecom announced that by the end of the month the satellite communication systems will be able to cover the entire island 24 hours a day, eliminating dependence on submarine cables.
Taipei () – No less than 153 planes flew over the skies of Taiwan in 25 hours, along with navy and coast guard ships, simulating a naval blockade. More impressive than the background were the dimensions of the show of force that Beijing carried out with operation “Joint Sword 2024 B”, the massive military exercise that was launched after the first speech of the president of Taipei, Lai Ching-te , October 10, the date when Taiwan celebrates its national day.
The moves were in response to Lai’s claims that China “has no right to represent Taiwan” and that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not “subordinate” to each other. Like the previous “Joint Sword” operation that was launched in May immediately after the inauguration of the new “independence” president of Taipei (which is why Beijing added the acronym “2024 B” to the name).
Operations ended at 6 a.m. and calm returned to Taipei. Not only in the skies and seas, but also on the Chinese social network Weibowhich yesterday had among its trending topics phrases such as “there is only one China in the world” and “the complete unification of the motherland will be achieved” that later disappeared completely in an instant. It would seem that, once the exercises are over, the rhetoric has also returned to the arsenals, so as not to raise too many questions among Internet users about an expensive deployment of media to make an exhibition, precisely when everyone is discussing measures to stimulate the economy that, Despite official proclamations, it fails to take off.
In Taipei, on the other hand, people continue to view the possibility of an invasion by Beijing with skepticism. A survey conducted last month by the Institute of Defense and National Security Research (INDSR) revealed that 61% of the population considers it “unlikely or very unlikely” that China will attack Taiwan in the next five years. Taiwan’s population is more concerned about the effects on its democracy of other Chinese threats, such as such military exercises and propaganda campaigns.
The confrontation – in any case – is destined to continue in other areas as well. Precisely when Beijing was showing its muscles again, for example, in Taiwan the main telecommunications provider, Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), announced that by the end of October the signals from satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) should be able to cover the entire island 24 hours a day. These systems are today the most effective alternative to submarine cables, which the People’s Republic of China could block more easily to isolate the “rebel island” from communications with the outside world.
Chunghwa Telecom had signed an exclusive distribution agreement for LEO satellite services in Taiwan with the Franco-British group Eutelsat OneWeb in November 2023. The development of this technology has continued with access to satellites through ground stations in Japan, Thailand and Guam until reaching full signal coverage, which is now imminent. However, to make it usable there is still one step left: ground stations in Taiwan. In this sense, the Taipei Ministry of Digital Affairs has promised to complete 700 by the end of this year. If this comes to fruition and bandwidth is sufficient, the CHT will also be able to begin marketing these satellite communications services, making Taiwan’s communications network more resilient to failures, natural disasters or other types of disruptions.
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