Chinese officials confirmed that its military held major military drills around Taiwan on Tuesday as a “severe warning” to Taiwan and a signal of “forceful containment against Taiwan independence.”
In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed that 19 Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ships had been detected “operating around Taiwan” from 6 a.m. Monday until early Tuesday morning.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense tweeted, “PRC continues to escalate military activities in the #Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region, intensifying military threats, challenging the international order and regional stability, thereby becoming the greatest ‘troublemaker’ in the eyes of the international community.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense explained that the People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels detected around Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday were led by China’s Shandong aircraft carrier. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense added that aircraft and ships were dispatched and coastal missile systems were activated as Taiwan monitored China’s military drills.
A spokesperson for Taiwan’s Presidential Office also released a statement on Tuesday, saying, “China’s blatant military provocations not only threaten peace in the Taiwan Strait but also undermine security in the entire region, as evidenced by drills near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and the South China Sea.” The spokesperson added that Taiwan’s Presidential Office condemned the “escalatory behavior” displayed by the Chinese military.
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The Chinese Xinhua News Agency confirmed on Tuesday that the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command executed “multi-subject drills in waters to the north, south and east of Taiwan Island.”
Citing the Chinese military, the Chinese news outlet reported that the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Command “organized its vessel and aircraft formations, in coordination with conventional missile troops and long-range rocket launching systems, to conduct drills of air interception, assault on maritime targets, strikes on ground objects, and joint blockade and control.”
The Xinhua News Agency added that the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Command said the latest military drills around Taiwan were “aimed at testing the troops’ capabilities of carrying out integrated operations, seizure of operational control and multi-directional precision strikes.”
In a statement obtained by Fox News, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office noted that the latest military drills around Taiwan were in response to the pro-independence views of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.
“Lai Ching-te stubbornly insists on a ‘Taiwan independence’ stance, brazenly labeling the mainland as a ‘foreign hostile force,’ and has put forward a so-called 17-point strategy … stirring up anti-China sentiments,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office stated. “We will not tolerate or condone this in any way and must resolutely counter and severely punish these actions.”
