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Defense ministry downplays Chinese military drills

The Ministry of National Defense has been closely monitoring China's ongoing military exercises near its southeastern coast on Dongshan Island, military spokesman Huang Suey-sheng (黃穗生) said yesterday.

Noting that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has annually conducted drills around Dongshan Island, Huang said the current exercises are routine.

"We have kept a close watch on the PLA training exercises," Huang said, adding that the defense ministry could not give any details about the content of the PLA's ongoing exercises for the sake of protecting Taiwan's intelligence security.

Huang went on to say that like the armed forces of all countries around the world, the PLA routinely conducts various kinds of annual training drills.

This year, Huang said, China's official mouthpiece and Hong Kong news media have continuously given sensational coverage to the PLA's Dongshan Island exercises.

"We believe this is part of China's consistent saber-rattling strategy toward Taiwan. They use their official mouthpiece to give exaggerated reports of the military live-fire war games to intimidate the people of Taiwan and try to wear them down psychologically," Huang said.

Hong Kong's pro-Beijing Chinese-language daily Wen Wei Po (文匯報) reported yesterday that the PLA will launch its largest-ever integrated military exercises around Dongshan Island today.

Quoting unnamed sources, the paper said top military leaders of China's central military commission will arrive in Dongshan, near Fujian Province, to watch the war games. Fujian lies opposite Taiwan.

The paper also reported in its Sunday edition that the upcoming exercises would simulate an invasion of the Taiwan-controlled Penghu islands.

Chinese fishing boats and other vessels have been given advance notice to stay out of the region and return to port, the paper said.

The military exercises, which have already lasted four months, are the largest the PLA has ever conducted in terms of scale, duration, total number of personnel involved and advanced weaponry used, the paper said, adding that some 100,000 troops have been involved.
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