PLA’s live-fire drills go with Krach’s visit
Operation approaches Taiwan island from 4 sides, ‘making secessionists turtle in a jar’
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is holding joint maritime and aerial exercises and combat-readiness patrols in the Taiwan Straits starting Friday, as media on the Taiwan island reported concentrated PLA warplane activities near the island’s “airspace” in four directions around the island on Friday morning. The news comes against the backdrop of US Undersecretary of State Keith Krach’s visit to the island of Taiwan where he is reportedly set to attend the memorial service of former Taiwan regional leader Lee Teng-hui, known as the “Godfather of Taiwan secessionism.”
The PLA operations have multiple dimensions that make secessionists on the island a turtle in a jar, and the PLA can turn the exercises into real action any time if Taiwan
secessionists insist on their obduracy, Chinese mainland experts said on Friday.
Starting Friday, the PLA Eastern Theater Command is conducting real combat-oriented exercises near Taiwan Straits, Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson at the Ministry of National Defense, told the Global Times at a press conference on Friday.
The move, which targets the current crossStraits situation, is legitimate and necessary action the mainland has taken to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Ren said.
The news on the PLA’s live-fire exercises came when US Undersecretary of State Keith Krach is paying a visit to Taiwan island. Recently, the US has ramped up efforts in playing the Taiwan card and escalated provocations.
China’s Foreign Ministry and the PLA Eastern Theater Command also released statements, stressing that Taiwan island is an inalienable part of China.
Combat-orientated exercises
Chinese mainland military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times that the mainland military spokespersons used three different expressions in describing the operations, namely real combat-oriented exercises, combatreadiness patrols and joint aerial and maritime drills, which showed the exercises this time are multidimensional.
Taiwan media cited the island’s defense authority as saying 18 PLA warplanes – two H-6 bombers, eight J-16 fighter jets, four J-11 and four J-10 planes – were involved in the operation, and some of them crossed the “middle line” of the Taiwan Straits.
The drills also demonstrated the PLA’s strong capability to mobilize for combat and a fast reaction when missions are called for, a Beijingbased military expert who asked not to be identified told the Global Times on Friday.
Some US research fellows also said that questioning the “ambiguous” nature of America’s commitment to Taiwan’s defense has gone mainstream, as under this “strategic ambiguity” Taiwan island could not be sure the US would come to its defense, and the mainland could not be sure the US wouldn’t.
Lü Xiang, a research fellow on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, said that it is still too early to say Washington would cast away the one-China policy as it has concerns over the mainland’s possible reactions and whether it has enough capability to “protect” Taiwan militarily.
Experts also said that if the US scraps the one-China policy, then Article 8 of the AntiSecession Law of China will be activated, which means China shall use nonpeaceful and other necessary means to solve the Taiwan question once and for all.
“When the technology and trade war cards are not working for them, the US is inclined to play the Taiwan card and the current provocations show it is lingering along the edge to break through the one-China policy,” said a Beijingbased expert on Taiwan affairs who requested anonymity.
But it will not easily take the step as the mainland and the US share wider interests, he said.