China sent 45 warplanes and 15 vessels near Taiwan's waters during the 24-hour period starting from 6am yesterday, as the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted its fifth "joint combat readiness patrol" of the month, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said today.
China yesterday staged "shooting exercises" in international shipping lanes 40 nautical miles off the coast of Kaohsiung and Pingtung County while also sending 34 aircraft across the median line, the MND said.
Two senior Taiwanese officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, said Taiwan did not detect any live-fire shooting in China's "drill zone" and there was no further escalation of military tensions.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
They said the Chinese move was very similar to China's other recent military activity in the region, such as in the South China Sea, and off of Australia's coast, during which China's navy did not provide adequate advance notice about exercises.
"This is extremely rare and exceeds general expectations," one of the officials said, referring to the Chinese military's move of running exercises without providing adequate prior warning.
"Allies are exchanging ideas," the official said. "The democratic camp must do some risk management for our defense."
The exercise, which was not announced in advance, saw China designate a 70 nautical mile by 20 nautical mile zone as an exercise area, the MND said today, publishing a map highlighting activity by the PLA.
The PLA Navy’s long-range formation, consisting of seven vessels, operated in the area from 8:50am to 3:40pm yesterday, it said.
The MND yesterday night released two videos taken at sea by personnel onboard Taiwan military vessels during the PLA drills.
One of the videos, taken from the frigate Pan Chao, showed a Chinese Type 071 amphibious transport dock and a Type 903 replenishment ship in the distance.
In the other video, taken from the guided missile destroyer Su Ao, a Taiwan Navy officer was seen contacting a Chinese Type 054A guided missile frigate via radio transmission, warning the Chinese crew that establishing a restricted area in Taiwan's exclusive economic zone is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and demanding that it immediately stop its actions.
The MND condemned China's actions and dispatched units to monitor PLA activity and take appropriate measures.
The decision to hold an unannounced military exercises off Taiwan’s coast undermined regional stability and posed a high risk to international flights and ships, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.
China is the biggest agitator against regional peace, it added.
The MOFA also called on the international community to continue to pay attention to China’s provocations in the region, adding that Taiwan would work with like-minded countries to safeguard the international order and maintain peace and stability.
In a news conference yesterday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian (林劍) said that the exercise “was not a diplomatic issue.”
Next week, China holds the annual meeting of its largely rubber stamp parliament, the country's biggest domestic political event, where it will unveil its defense budget for the year.
Next month also marks the 20th anniversary of China's "anti-secession law" that allows it to use force on Taiwan in extreme cases, though the legislation is vague.
A third senior Taiwan official, who is familiar with government policy towards China, told Reuters that Taipei has made "the best preparations for the worst-case scenario" in the event China escalates its rhetoric about Taiwan ahead of that anniversary, adding that pre-parliament drills were "very rare."
"They escalated the level of intimidation for no reason. It is not conducive to cross-strait stability and relations at all," the official added.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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