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A Chinese propaganda image of Taiwan encircled by a heart-shaped drawing sparked outrage, with many on the island comparing it to the dynamics of domestic abuse.
The image was shared by the Chinese coast guard on the day of Beijing’s massive drills surrounding the island in China’s latest show of force.
The image, showing bright yellow arrows surrounding the island in the shape of a heart, was also widely used by Chinese news websites, including the state mouthpiece Global Times and news agency Xinhua, who called the drills “law enforcement patrols”.
It came as China staged its biggest-ever war games around Taiwan, flying a record 153 military aircraft in a one-day drill, according to Taiwan’s government.
The “Joint Sword-2024B” drills staged a blockade of island in which warplanes and dozens of navy and coastguard vessels encircled the island – what many observers dubbed as a practice of invasion of the archipelago.
The satellite image, shared with the messages “Hi my sweetheart” and “The patrol is in the shape of loving you” written in Chinese has been widely shared on Taiwanese social media, according to the Guardian newspaper.
Several Taiwanese social media users were left unsettled by the symbolism of the image.
“I see an abuser saying ‘I hit you because I love you’. I found it sickening,” a social media user said.
“As China carries out a new round of military drills today around Taiwan, official media are circulating this image from the China Coast Guard – basically to send a message that such actions are carried out with ‘love’ from the motherland,” said another.
“Chinese coast guard drew a heart while sailing around Taiwan at the same time of Chinese military drills. It said that this is the shape of its love toward Taiwan, extremely disgusting and truly pervert,” another user said.
“Some toxic love there,” commented another user.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory and president Xi Jinping has threatened to “reunite” the island with the mainland by force if necessary, while the democratically-elected government of Taiwan says only the island’s people can choose their future. Beijing’s claim to be the only legitimate Chinese government is known as the One China Principle, and this has been accepted or acknowledged by all but a handful of nations who would otherwise risk being cut off from trading with the mainland.
The US formally acknowledges the One China Principle but maintains close informal relations with Taiwan, and does not accept Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over the island.
On Wednesday, Taiwan National Security Bureau director-general, Tsai Ming-yen, said China’s drills had backfired, given the international condemnation they generated, especially from Washington.
“The Chinese communists’ military exercise has created a negative effect in that it made the international community more supportive of Taiwan,” he said.
