China wraps up drills near Taiwan
The People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) has announced the completion of its Joint Sword 2024B military exercises around the island of Taiwan, a spokesperson for the Chinese military announced on Monday.
The joint army, navy, air force and rocket force exercises near the island which were launched earlier in the day prompted Taipei to conduct a national security meeting, urging Beijing to “respect the Taiwanese people’s choice of a democratic and free way of life.”
The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry condemned the drills, calling on Beijing to use “self-restraint and refrain from undermining regional stability” while the island’s Defense Ministry said it would deploy its own forces in response.
In a statement shared by the South China Morning Post, Li Xi, a spokesman for the PLA’s Eastern Zone Combat Command, announced that the Joint Sword 2024B exercises, which were conducted to the north, south and east of Taiwan, had been “successfully completed” and had demonstrated the high potential for joint actions of all branches of the Chinese army.
The Chinese military had previously also stated that the drills were meant to serve as a “stern deterrence to the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces,” and were a “legitimate and necessary operation to safeguard state sovereignty and integrity.”
The PLA added that Monday’s exercises had included drills that focused 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 Taiwanese Defense Ministry had reported that “25 PLA aircraft, seven PLA Navy vessels, and four official ships” had been operating around the island on Monday morning. Taipei stated that it had deployed aircraft, naval vessels and missile systems in response.
Beijing has repeatedly stressed that it considers the self-governing island of Taiwan to be an inalienable part of China under the One-China principle. The Chinese government has also warned that, while it would prefer peaceful unification, it reserves the right to use force if Taipei seeks independence, particularly with outside assistance.
