By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

Day 2 of Beijing Military Drills in Taiwan Strait Focuses on Blockade

China launched military exercises pressing in on Taiwan on Tuesday, sending warships and fighter planes in what Beijing said was a warning to the island democracy’s president, Lai Ching-te, after he called China a “foreign hostile force.”

Chinese land, navy, air and missile forces would “approach close” to Taiwan and practice “seizure of overall control, strikes on sea and land targets, and the blockade and control of key areas and lanes” at sea, Senior Col. Shi Yi, a spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army regional command that oversees Taiwan, said in a statement issued on Chinese state-run media. Day 2 of Beijing military drills in Taiwan Strait focuses on blockade. China Continues to Hold Military Exercises Around Taiwan in Fresh Warning.

The People’s Liberation Army is continuing its military exercises in the central and southern Taiwan Strait with a focus on Wednesday of blockade enforcement.

The PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command spokesman Senior Colonel Shi Yi said the drills – code-named Strait Thunder-2025A – are focused on tasks that include verification and identification, warning and expulsion, interception, and detention.

The aim is to test the troops’ capabilities in area control, joint blockade and precision strikes, according to Shi. The PLA did not say when this latest round of drills near Taiwan will end, nor whether more can be expected later this week.

Beijing opened the large-scale military and coastguard exercises around the self-ruled island on Tuesday, as “a stern warning and a strong deterrent to the separatist forces of Taiwan independence”.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of China to be reunited, by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognize Taiwan as an independent. However, Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is committed to supplying weapons for its defense.

Live-fire action

According to the Taiwanese defense ministry’s social media account, 76 PLA sorties and 15 warships, as well as four official ships, were detected near the island as of 6 am on Wednesday.

The ministry added that 37 sorties had crossed the median line – the notional midway point in the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from mainland China – and entered the Taiwanese air defense identification zone.

This week’s drill is the second joint exercise in the past fortnight and seems to be a continued response to Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s March 13 statement that labelled Beijing as a “foreign hostile force” and announced tightened security measures against the mainland.

Lai was the target of a coordinated wave of condemnation by Beijing on Wednesday across multiple official media outlets.

The PLA Daily denounced him as an “incorrigible” separatist who had long “sold out” Taiwan’s interests, alleging that he manipulated historical narratives and favored foreign powers over cross-strait peace.

The military mouthpiece also said that any attempt to split Taiwan from China would be “resolutely crushed at any cost”, leaving “no room” for independence moves. Lai’s recent policy announcement effectively pushed the island closer to “a quasi-military lockdown”, it added.

Party mouthpiece People’s Daily published a similar commentary on Wednesday, describing Lai as a “desperate warmonger” bent on dragging the island into conflict.

The article criticized Taipei’s recent hike in defense spending and civil defense mobilization, calling them acts of “fear mongering and sabreratling” that placed civilians at risk.

The newspaper also said that Lai’s defense measures were not for peace but to “arm for confrontation” while presenting himself as a champion of security.

“Every provocation by the Lai administration will be met with military countermeasures,” it warned, stating that the “noose” around separatist forces would continue to tighten with each move.

In a statement on Tuesday, the US state department said the drills were exacerbating tensions and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to Taiwan.

“Once again, China’s aggressive military activities and rhetoric towards Taiwan only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region’s security and the world’s prosperity at risk,” it said.

“In the face of China’s intimidation tactics and destabilizing behavior, the United States’ enduring commitment to our allies and partners, including Taiwan, continues.”

The statement added that the US supports peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force.

Sometimes, China’s military does not spell out why it holds drills. This time, officials and state media reports were clear: “This is firm punishment for the Lai Ching-te administration’s rampant ‘pro-independence’ provocations,” Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the Chinese government’s office on Taiwanese affairs, said in a statement.

Zhu singled out a speech by Mr. Lai on March 13 in which he described China as a “foreign hostile force” and laid out 17 measures that Mr. Lai said would combat deepening Chinese subversion and spying in Taiwan. Those included restoring military tribunals for cases against military personnel who spy and strengthening oversight of cultural, political, and religious exchanges with China. Beijing says that Taiwan is its territory and that it will eventually absorb the island by force if Chinese leaders deem that necessary.

China launched military exercises pressing in on Taiwan on Tuesday, sending warships and fighter planes in what Beijing said was a warning to the island democracy’s president, Lai Ching-te, after he called China a “foreign hostile force.”

 

Day 2 Focus on Blockade

The People’s Liberation Army is continuing its military exercises in the central and southern Taiwan Strait with a focus on blockade enforcement.

The PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command spokesman Senior Colonel Shi Yi said the drills – code-named Strait Thunder-2025A – are focused on tasks that include verification and identification, warning and expulsion, interception, and detention.

The aim is to test the troops’ capabilities in area control, joint blockade, and precision strikes, according to Shi. The PLA did not say when this latest round of drills near Taiwan will end, nor whether more can be expected later this week.

Beijing opened the large-scale military and coastguard exercises around the self-ruled island on Tuesday, as “a stern warning and a strong deterrent to the separatist forces of Taiwan independence”.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of China to be reunited, by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognize Taiwan as an independent. However, Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is committed to supplying weapons for its defense.

According to the Taiwanese defense ministry’s social media account, 76 PLA sorties and 15 warships, as well as four official ships, were detected near the island as of 6am on Wednesday morning.

The ministry added that 37 sorties had crossed the median line – the notional midway point in the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from mainland China – and entered the Taiwanese air defense identification zone.

This week’s drill is the second joint exercise in the past fortnight and seems to be a continued response to Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s March 13 statement that labelled Beijing as a “foreign hostile force” and announced tightened security measures against the mainland.

Lai was the target of a coordinated wave of condemnation by Beijing on Wednesday across multiple official media outlets.

The PLA Daily denounced him as an “incorrigible” separatist who had long “sold out” Taiwan’s interests, alleging that he manipulated historical narratives and favoured foreign powers over cross-strait peace.

The military mouthpiece also said that any attempt to split Taiwan from China would be “resolutely crushed at any cost”, leaving “no room” for independence moves. Lai’s recent policy announcement effectively pushed the island closer to “a quasi-military lockdown”, it added.

Party mouthpiece People’s Daily published a similar commentary on Wednesday, describing Lai as a “desperate warmonger” bent on dragging the island into conflict.

The article criticized Taipei’s recent hike in defense spending and civil defense mobilization, calling them acts of “fear mongering and sable-rattling” that placed civilians at risk.

The newspaper also said that Lai’s defense measures were not for peace but to “arm for confrontation” while presenting himself as a champion of security.

“Every provocation by the Lai administration will be met with military countermeasures,” it warned, stating that the “noose” around separatist forces would continue to tighten with each move.

In a statement on Tuesday, the US state department said the drills were exacerbating tensions and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment for Taiwan.

“Once again, China’s aggressive military activities and rhetoric towards Taiwan only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region’s security and the world’s prosperity at risk,” it said.

“In the face of China’s intimidation tactics and destabilizing behavior, the United States’ enduring commitment to our allies and partners, including Taiwan, continues.”

The statement added that the US supports peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force.

 

 

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