TAIPEI China warned on Monday that peace in the Taiwan Strait and independence for Taiwan were mutually exclusive as the Chinese military said it had successfully completed exercises around the island, following three days of war games circling it.
Taiwan independence and Taiwan Strait peace and stability are mutually exclusive things, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular briefing, adding: If we want to protect peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait we must firmly oppose any form of Taiwan independence separatism.
China ended three days of military drills around Taiwan on Monday, saying they had tested integrated military capabilities under actual combat conditions, having practised precision strikes and also practised blockading the island that Beijing views as its own.
The Chinese military said it had successfully completed the exercises and comprehensively tested the capabilities of multiple units under actual combat conditions.
The troops in the theatre are ready to fight all the time and can fight at any time, resolutely crushing any form of Taiwan independence separatism and foreign interference, the Eastern Theatre Command of the Peoples Liberation Army said in a statement.
China announced the three days of drills on Saturday, after Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
China regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified with it, by force if necessary. Taiwans government strongly disputes Chinas claims and has denounced the drills.
Chinese state television said aircraft, including nuclear-capable H-6 bombers armed with live missiles, and warships staged drills to form a multi-directional island-encompasing blockade situation.
In the Taiwan Strait, the north-west and south-west of Taiwan and the waters east of Taiwan, (Chinese forces) took the initiative to attack, giving full play to their performance advantages, flexibly manoeuvring to seize favourable positions, and advancing at high speed to deter opponents, the report said. Taiwanese navy vessels anchored at Keelung Harbour in Taiwan on April 10. PHOTO: EPA-EFE The Eastern Theatre Command of the Peoples Liberation Army said the aircraft carrier Shandong also took part in combat patrols, and showed fighters taking off from its deck.
Taiwan has been tracking the Shandong since last week in the Pacific Ocean.
Taiwans Defence Ministry published a map on Monday of the previous 24 hours of Chinese air force activities, showing four carrier-based Chinese J-15 fighters operating over the Pacific Ocean to Taiwans east.
The ministry said that as at mid-morning on Monday, it had spotted 59 military aircraft and 11 ships around Taiwan, and that the Shandong carrier group was drilling in the Western Pacific.
The Shandong conducted air operations in waters close to Japans Okinawa islands on Sunday, Japans Defence Ministry said on Monday.
Jet fighters and helicopters took off from and landed on the carrier 120 times between Friday and Sunday, with the carrier, three other warships and a support vessel coming within 230km of Japans Miyako island, the ministry said. A jet fighter taking off from Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong, in the Pacific Ocean south of Japans Okinawa prefecture, on April 10. PHOTO: REUTERS Japan has been following Chinas military drills around Taiwan with great interest, a top government spokesman said on Monday.
Japan has long worried about Chinas military activities in the area, given how close southern Japanese islands are to Taiwan.
The importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is not only important for the security of Japan, but also for the stability of the international community as a whole, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
The southern Japanese island of Okinawa hosts a major US air force base, and last August, when China staged war games to protest the visit of then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei, Chinese missiles landed within Japans exclusive economic zone.
The United States has said it is also watching Chinas drills closely. More On This Topic Pressured on three fronts, Japan takes the gloves off Armed to the teeth: Asia-Pacific countries in arms race amid tensions in region Chinas military simulated precision strikes against Taiwan on Sunday, the second day of drills around the island.
The Eastern Theatre Command on Monday released a short video on its WeChat account showing an H-6 bomber flying in what it said was the skies north of Taiwan.
The missiles are in good condition, an unidentified voice says, as the video shows images from the cockpit.
Start the fire control radar, lock on the target, another voice says, showing images of a missile under the aircrafts wing.
It then shows a pilot readying the fire control button for what it describes as a simulated attack, and pressing the button, though it did not show any missiles being fired. A pilot operating an aircraft under the Eastern Theatre Command of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army during the combat readiness patrols and Joint Sword exercises around Taiwan. PHOTO: REUTERS Taiwans military has repeatedly said it will respond calmly to Chinas drills and not provoke conflict.
The islands Defence Ministry separately released pictures on Monday of mobile launchers for the Taiwan-made Hsiung Feng anti-ship missiles at an undisclosed location, as well as missile-armed fast attack boats at sea.
Reuters reporters at the Cape Maobitou park in Pingtung County on Taiwans southern tip saw Hsiung Feng launchers deployed near a scenic spot on Monday, as soldiers stood guard and tourists watched. Hsiung Feng launchers at Cape Maobitou park in Taiwans Pingtung County on April 10. PHOTO: REUTERS Life in Taiwan has continued normally with no signs of panic or disruption, and civilian flights operating as usual.
Most normal people probably arent afraid, with the main reason being that everyone thinks that China will certainly not start a war, said retiree and former soldier Tang Pao-hsiung, 78.
Taiwans stock market brushed off the tensions, with the benchmark index up around 0.2 per cent early on Monday afternoon. REUTERS More On This Topic Taiwanese keep on dancing in the shadow of China military drills Two Taiwan trips reflect diverging visions on how to protect island
