Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China.
“All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said.
Photo: AFP, Coast Guard Administration
Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a press conference yesterday.
“Whether or not we hold exercises and when we hold them are decided by us alone, based on our own needs and the circumstances of our struggle,” an official social media account of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army quoted Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesman Colonel Wu Qian (吳謙) as saying.
“Safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, and the common interests of compatriots across the Taiwan Strait are the [military’s] sacred duties,” Wu said.
“No matter whether it holds exercises, the People’s Liberation Army will not be absent or soft-hearted when it comes to striking down [Taiwanese] ‘independence’ and pushing for unification,” he said.
Authorities this week said that Beijing’s maritime drills stretched from near the southern islands of Japan to the South China Sea.
About 90 Chinese warships and coast guard vessels took part in the exercises, which included simulating attacks on foreign ships and practicing a blockade of sea routes, a security official said on Wednesday.
There was no announcement from the Chinese army or state media about increased military activity in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, South China Sea or Western Pacific Ocean.
China began planning the massive maritime operation in October and aimed to demonstrate it could choke Taiwan while drawing a “red line” for the incoming US administration, the security official said.
As Chinese ships have returned to China, the military and coast guard have closed the emergency response centers that were set up in response to the huge maritime mobilization, they added.
“The nine ships went back to Chinese ports last night in two groups,” Hsieh said of vessels that had been in waters to the southeast and southwest of Taiwan.
The CGA said it closely monitored the situation and that its coast guard vessels were deployed to shadow all of the Chinese ships in a one-on-one configuration.
Despite China’s attempts to provoke Taiwan by employing “gray zone” strategies, the nation was poised to defend its sovereignty and maritime rights, the CGA added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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