Beijing launches ‘blockade’ drills around Taiwan
Beijing has launched joint army, navy, air force, and rocket force exercises around the island of Taiwan, a military spokesperson announced on Monday.
The combined drills will test the Chinese forces’ joint capabilities and serve as a warning to Taiwanese separatist forces on the island, Senior Captain Li Xi, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, said.
“On October 14, the PLA Eastern Theater Command is dispatching its army, navy, air force, and rocket force troops to conduct joint military drills code-named ‘Joint Sword-2024B’ in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south, and east of Taiwan Island,” Li announced.
Vessels and aircraft will approach Taiwan from different directions, allowing the various forces to practice coordination. The exercises will focus on “sea-air combat-readiness patrols, blockades of key ports and areas, assaults on maritime and ground targets, as well as joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, testing the joint operations capabilities of the theater command’s troops,” the statement said.
“The drill also serves as a stern warning against the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ forces,” Li stressed, adding that the drills are necessary for “safeguarding state sovereignty and national unity.”
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry reported that “25 PLA aircraft, 7 PLA Navy vessels, and 4 official ships” were operating around Taiwan on Monday morning, adding that it has deployed aircraft, naval vessels, and missile systems in response.
The military exercises come just days after the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned “Taiwan Independence” rhetoric from Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te. In a speech on Thursday, Lai insisted that Beijing has no authority over the island and “has no right to represent Taiwan.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning criticized Lai’s statements as provoking tensions in the Taiwan Strait for his own political interests.
Beijing has previously condemned Lai for his separatist statements. In May, three days after Lai’s inauguration, the PLA announced the Joint Sword-2024A combined drills around Taiwan and surrounding islands, stressing that the exercises were also a “punishment for separatist forces.”
Taiwan has been de facto self-governing since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, home to the last remnants of the Kuomintang forces after their defeat by the Communists.
Only 12 countries around the world recognize the island as a sovereign nation. Beijing maintains the One-China principle, considering Taiwan an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and has stated that while it prefers peaceful unification, it reserves the right to use force if Taipei seeks independence with outside assistance.
