STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. China dispatched fighter jets to Thailand on Sunday in a joint air force exercise called Falcon Strike 2022 that Beijing’s defense ministry said would “enhance mutual trust and friendship”, The Financial Times reported.
The Thailand exercises coincided with the conclusion of two weeks of war games between the US and Indonesia, marking the largest version of the annual Garuda Shield live-fire drills since starting in 2009. Japan, Australia and Singapore also joined for the first time.
The drills in south-east Asia come as tension between Beijing and Washington in the region is rising. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August aggravated China, which claims the territory as its own.
The speaker’s trip prompted a series of intimidation tactics from the Chinese military, including live-fire drills and the closure of blocs of water and airspace around Taiwan in what analysts said was a simulation of a blockade.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations called for “maximum restraint” in a statement that avoided referring to Taiwan by name and said it was “ready to play a constructive role in facilitating peaceful dialogue” (Tansim News).
