China carried out day-long large-scale military drills on Monday, apparently in response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's statement that Beijing has no authority to represent Taipei, with the kind of military deployment that no nation-state is allowed to do: an aircraft carrier group besides army, navy, air force and missile forces surrounding Taiwan.
The PLA said on Monday evening that it had completed its blockade drills around the island, thereby fully testing the integrated joint operation capability of its troops. The PLA has been periodically conducting such drills to show off its military might.
Earlier, army, navy, air force, and rocket force troops of the PLA Eastern Theatre Command held joint military drills codenamed "Joint Sword-2024B" in the Taiwan Strait and areas north, south, and east of Taiwan Island, said a statement issued by Senior Captain Li Xi, spokesperson for the Command.
"The drill is also a strict warning to the separatist acts of 'Taiwan independence' forces. It is a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding national sovereignty and national unity," Captain Li said.
He also said that China's Liaoning aircraft carrier task group has been deployed to conduct joint drills with other forces of the PLA "in the waters and airspace to the east of Taiwan Island.".
He explained that the exercises are designed to test the joint operation capabilities of all services and arms around the island.
It said that the drills, focussed on key-port blockade, seizure of regional control, and assault on maritime and ground targets in areas to the north and south of Taiwan Island, are "a test of PLA troops' capabilities for multi-domain collaboration, systems confrontation, and precision strikes on key targets.".
It was on claims by Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te when giving a speech he made about the National Day of Taiwan four days ago. In his speech, he asserted that both sides "are not subordinate to each other" and Beijing had no authority to represent the island.
Lai, who has been adamant about Taiwan's independence since his election in May, said both sides of the strait should have equal status and that he was committed to peace across the strait. China claims the stringed island of Taiwan as part of its mainland, and President Xi Jinping has of late been vocal about unifying it with "motherland".
Taipei: The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs branded China's military threats as "clearly empty," urging Beijing to withdraw and end military provocations right away. "MOFA solemnly denounces China and urges it neither to use false pretexts aimed at justifying disagreement and strife nor become a troublemaker that undermines regional peace and stability," it said.
At a media briefing in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said "Taiwan independence" is incompatible with peace across the Taiwan Strait, and the provocations of "Taiwan independence" separatist forces will inevitably be countered. On PLA drills around Taiwan, Mao said China has always been committed to maintaining regional peace and stability, and this is well understood by countries in the region.
Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Taiwan question is China's internal affair, which brooks no outside interference, Mao said.".
She said about the US calls for restraint by China that if the United States genuinely cared for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and prosperity in the region, it should respect the one-China principle and truly act on its leaders' commitment to not supporting "Taiwan independence," stop arming Taiwan and stop sending any wrong signals to separatist forces of "Taiwan independence."
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