China's PLA flexes military muscles as Taiwan gears up for war games

Prior to Taipei’s annual war exercises at the end of the month, during which Taiwan will simulate breaching a Chinese blockade, China’s military has been flexing its might this week surrounding Taiwan by practising joint force operations well out at sea.

Since the past three years, China has conducted frequent drills surrounding Taiwan, which is democratically ruled, to put pressure on Taipei to recognise Beijing’s claim of sovereignty.

According to Taiwan’s defence ministry, China has dispatched dozens of fighters, bombers, and other aircraft, including drones, into Taiwan’s southern skies since Tuesday, some of which have crossed the Bashi Channel, which divides Taiwan from the Philippines and the Pacific, in support of Chinese warships.

Some of the aircraft engaged in “harassment” behaviour when they approached waters 24 nautical miles off Taiwan’s coast and crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, an unofficial line that divides the two sides.

Long-distance operations will serve as the “main combat mode” in any conflict, according to Chieh Chung, a military expert at Taiwan’s National Policy Foundation think tank.

“China regards breaking through the first island chain as an important tactical goal,” he said, referring to the islands running from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing China’s coastal seas.

China’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment. On Thursday, China’s foreign ministry, asked about the drills, said: “The Chinese people will never waver in our resolve and determination to uphold China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Taiwan’s main annual Han Kuang exercises take place in the last week of this month, focusing on defending the island’s main international airport and how to keep sea lanes open in the event of a Chinese blockade.

China practised precision strikes and blockades in drills around the island in April after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.

A senior Taiwan security official, who declined to be identified, said China’s activities, coming before Han Kuang, were part of its psychological warfare against the island.

“They are expanding military deterrence actions to create a cognitive effect that Taiwan’s national defences are useless,” the official said.

On July 6, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to the Eastern Theatre Command’s headquarters, which is in charge of the region around Taiwan, and issued a warning about a “new period of turmoil and change for the world”, according to official media.

A U.S. Navy patrol plane crossed the strait on Thursday while being watched by Chinese jets, heightening the already high level of tension. China regularly criticises American military presence in the strait as provocative.

The Taiwanese military has been promoting the Han Kuang drills on its own, and this week it posted a professionally made video featuring fighters soaring through the air, missiles fired from warships, and artillery barrages to social media.

“We are determined to protect our territory,” read text in Chinese and English accompanying the video.

Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at Taiwan’s top military think tank, the Institute for National Defence and Security Research, said judging by the aircraft used, the Southern Theatre Command, which covers the South China Sea, was being included in China’s exercises this time to gain experience in joint operations across commands.

“The Eastern Theatre Command are well seasoned, but it’s the Southern Theatre Command that needs training for long-distance support,” Su said.

(WIth agency inputs)