Chinese military conducts 'punitive' drills, Taiwan takes a tough stance

The Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command began a two-day exercise at 7:45 a.m. on May 23 involving naval vessels and aircraft "surrounding Taiwan Island," Xinhua reported. The exercise is being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, facing north, south and east of Taiwan, according to Xinhua.

Chinamil.com screenshot

Xinhua news agency quoted Eastern Theater Command spokesman Li Xi as saying that the exercise would "focus on joint patrols, air and sea combat readiness, comprehensive battlefield control and joint precision strikes on key targets."

Mr. Lee also said that the exercise "includes patrols by ships and aircraft stationed in areas surrounding Taiwan Island and coordinated operations inside and outside the island chain to test the actual joint combat capabilities of command forces."

Mr. Li also emphasized that the new drills were a "strong punishment" response to "separatist actions" in Taiwan and "a stern warning against interference and provocation by external forces," according to Xinhua.

Chinese state media published maps of military exercise areas in five regions around Taiwan and Taiwan-controlled islands near the Chinese coast.

The Chinese military conducted the above-mentioned exercise three days after Mr. Lai Ching-te took office as leader of Taiwan.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry immediately condemned China's conduct of the above-mentioned drills, calling it an "unreasonable provocation aimed at undermining peace and stability in the region," according to AFP. "We have dispatched naval, air and ground forces to respond," Taiwan's Defense Ministry affirmed.

A senior Taiwanese official told Reuters that the drills were part of a scenario that Taiwan had anticipated and that the Taiwanese government had a “comprehensive grasp” of China’s military moves.

Taiwanese officials said ahead of Lai's inauguration that they were monitoring China's military activities, according to Reuters.