China's military said it practiced hitting key ports and energy sites during "live-fire" drills today as part of exercises aimed at Taiwan.
Named "Strait Thunder-2025A," the drills are located in the middle and southern parts of the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said, which is a vital artery for global shipping.
The military said it held "long-range live-fire drills" and practiced hitting "simulated targets of key ports and energy facilities" during the exercises.
Photo: I-hwa Cheng, AFP
Today’s drills aim to "test the troops' capabilities" in areas such as "blockade and control, and precision strikes on key targets," said Senior Colonel Shi Yi (施毅), spokesman of the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said it responded by establishing an ad hoc emergency operations center and deploying military aircraft, vessels and coastal missile systems following the PLA's announcement of drills early yesterday.
As of this morning, Taiwan's military was conducting patrols and monitoring Chinese troops, and it was prepared to adjust its combat readiness level based on the level of the PLA threat accordingly, the ministry said.
The US Department of State said Beijing's "aggressive" military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan "only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region's security and the world's prosperity at risk."
Today’s drills come a day after China sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for exercises Beijing said were aimed at practicing for "precision strikes" and a blockade of the nation.
That prompted Taipei to dispatch its own air and maritime forces as part of a "rapid response exercise."
In the 24 hours ending at 6am today, China deployed 95 aircraft and warships around the nation, including 15 navy vessels and four official ships, the MND said.
Of the 76 aircraft detected, 37 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the nation’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones (ADIZ), it said.
The MND also reported yesterday that the PLA's Shandong aircraft carrier engaged in operations about 220 nautical miles (407km) southeast of Taiwan that day.
Between 10am and 4:20pm, 14 Chinese fighter aircraft and helicopters were detected southeast of Taiwan, outside the ADIZ, the ministry said.
These aerial movements were probably related to the operations of the aircraft carrier battle group, it said.
Taipei analyst Sung Wen-ti (宋文笛) said that China was using "stress test after stress test" to gauge the strength of US President Donald Trump's support for Taiwan and other allies in the region.
The two most recent PLA military exercises that used code names were both Joint Sword 2024 drills held last year after President William Lai (賴清德) took office.
The Joint Sword-2024A drills were held from May 23 to 24, while the second-round Joint Sword-2024B was conducted from Oct. 14 to 15.
Additional reporting by CNA
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting
RSS