China warned Taiwan of war as their military on Friday tested its ability to 바카라seize power바카라 with People바카라s Liberation Army forces kicking off a second day of large-scale exercises around the island.
The encircling of vessels and warplanes of Taiwan was done in retaliation to its new President Lai Ching-te바카라s remarks rejecting Beijing's sovereignty claims over the self-ruled island.
'To Launch Strikes, Seize Control': Chinese PLA's Plans For Taiwan
Li Xi, the spokesperson for the Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), mentioned that the army, navy, air force, and rocket forces worked together in drills around Taiwan Island. They practiced controlling and taking over the area during the last day of the two-day exercise.
바카라Integrated operations inside and outside the island chain are being conducted to test the command's capabilities to jointly take control of the battlefield and launch joint strikes, and to seize control of crucial areas,바카라 he reportedly said in a press release.
Separately, the Chinese Coast Guard said it focussed its drills in the Taiwan Strait, the narrow waters that separate the Chinese mainland and Taiwan on verification and identification as well as warning and expulsion of any foreign vessels in times of conflict.
Military analysts say the PLA, which has been carrying out aggressive military exercises since the visit of the then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August 2022, practiced a possible takeover of the estranged island through military action at lightning speed.
China, which views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland even by force, may launch its offensive in 2027, according to top Taiwan politicians.
The PLA Eastern Theatre Command, which launched the two-day exercise on Thursday, said, "The drills also serve as a strong punishment for the separatist acts of 'Taiwan independence' forces and a stern warning against the interference and provocation by external forces."
A 3D video of simulated strikes was released by the command, showing targets in the Taiwanese cities of Taipei, Hualien, and Kaohsiung hit by the PLA바카라s air, naval, and rocket forces, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
According to Taiwan바카라s defence ministry, 49 PLA aircraft, 19 PLA naval vessels, and seven coastguard vessels were detected operating around Taiwan till Friday morning.
It said 35 aircraft crossed the median line 바카라 a notional midpoint in the Taiwan Strait 바카라 and entered the southwestern air defence identification zone. The island바카라s armed forces monitored the situation and responded accordingly, it said.
The number of aircraft detected near the island on Friday was lower than the PLA바카라s first day of drills compared to the previous drills last April, the Post report said.
Reports from Taiwan said the PLA drills have not disturbed the normal life of its 23 million people who went about with their routine.
The PLA바카라s drill poses the first real test for the veteran Taiwanese politician Lai in managing tensions with Beijing, which has refused his offer to talk and to resume cross-strait tourism and student exchanges, a CNN report from Taipei said.
Domestically, he is facing chaos in the legislature, where opposition parties who favour closer ties to China hold a majority, and have pushed to subject his administration to tighter scrutiny, the report said.
Who Is Lai?
Lai, 64, also known as William Lai, succeeded his independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) colleague Tsai Ing-wen after winning the popular vote in the January Presidential election this year. He was sworn in as the president at a ceremony held in Taipei on Monday.
In his no-holds-barred inaugural speech, Lai, regarded as a radical, called on China to stop threatening the island and promised to uphold the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. He said his government would adhere to the four commitments (of national sovereignty, democracy, and freedom) and maintain the status quo without being overbearing or servile.
His pro-independence speech riled China.
While the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin defended the joint military drill as legitimate and necessary, the Chinese Defence Ministry on Friday launched a blistering attack on Lai saying that he is driving Taiwan towards war.
바카라The military drills around Taiwan aim to crack down on the arrogance of 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and deter the interference and intervention of external forces,바카라 Chinese defence spokesperson Senior Colonel Wu Qian told media here.
Wu said as soon as Lai took office, he 바카라seriously challenged the one-China principle by touting the two-state theory" and attempted to seek "Taiwan independence" by force and by relying on external forces, pushing the Taiwan compatriots towards the danger of war.
This is an act of playing with fire, and those who play with fire will end up getting burned, he warned.
"Taiwan is China's Taiwan, and how to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter for over 1.4 billion Chinese people," Wu said, adding that the PLA will defend China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity with concrete actions.
"With each provocation of the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces, our countermeasures will advance one step further until the complete reunification of the motherland is realised," he was quoted by the official media as saying.
A Friday commentary by the PLA Daily targeted Lai바카라s inauguration speech, which it said was 바카라unprecedented바카라 in its inclination towards Taiwan바카라s independence, and pledged to 바카라respond in language [separatists] understand바카라.
The two-day military exercise is aimed at punishing Taiwanese separatist forces like Lai, the PLA Daily said.
(With AP inputs)
