The Chinese military began conducting »precision strike» exercises on »key targets» in Taiwan on Sunday, the second day of a large-scale blockade drill it is conducting around the island.
»The Eastern Operations Command of the People’s Liberation Army (the Chinese Army) is continuing drills around the island of Taiwan, conducting simulated precision strikes on key targets on the island and surrounding waters,» according to the military statement carried by ‘China Daily’.
During the drills, multiple Chinese Army Navy destroyers and frigates »rapidly approached the island of Taiwan, took advantageous positions and practiced close assaults, long-range deterrence and air defense,» Chinese state-run CCTV added.
Early this morning, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry detected that at least 71 Chinese fighter jets and nine Chinese warships had approached the territory, and warned that 45 of the planes temporarily crossed the »Davis line» that divides the strait and marks the beginning of its security zone; an extremely high number even for the usual incursions China has been carrying out during the last few months.
This large-scale drill has been seen as a response to President Tsai Ing Wen’s meeting this week with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, in what Beijing saw as an affront to its sovereignty claims over the territory.
Early this morning, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) condemned the start of the exercises and assured that it would not give in to threats.
In a statement reported by the ‘Taipei Times’, the Taiwanese body recalled that the president »regularly travels to the US and holds face-to-face talks with the leaders of friendly governments to facilitate peace across the Taiwan Strait.
»China should learn to deal with such normal interactions and practice self-restraint, which could help avoid miscalculations or further damage to its relationship with Taipei,» the note adds.
»No amount of threatening behavior by China can change the fact,» the Council stresses, »that the two sides of the Straits are not subordinate to each other, nor will it affect the Taiwanese determination to keep it that way.»
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
