“LIVE-FIRE TRAINING”
China said early on Monday it was conducting “live-fire training on maritime targets to the north and southwest of Taiwan” in large-scale exercises involving destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers and drones.
Military spokesman Shi Yi said Beijing would send army, navy, air force and rocket force troops for the war games, focusing on “sea-air combat readiness patrol … blockade on key ports and areas, as well as all-dimensional deterrence outside the island chain”.
He added the drills were “a stern warning against ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces, and … a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity”.
Chinese authorities published a map of five large zones around Taiwan where the war games would take place. They are due to finish at 6pm (10am GMT) on Tuesday.
Taiwan said China’s designated exercise zones, some of which are within 12 nautical miles of its coast, have affected international shipping and aviation routes.
The island’s government condemned China’s “disregard for international norms and the use of military intimidation to threaten neighbouring countries”, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo said.
Its defence ministry said it had detected 89 Chinese military aircraft near its shores on Monday – the highest number in a single day since October 2024. It also said it had detected 28 warships and coast guard vessels.
The drills by China’s ruling Communist Party “further confirm its nature as an aggressor, making it the greatest destroyer of peace”, Taipei’s defence ministry said.
Source: CNA
