The Ministry of National Defense began “immediate combat readiness drills” for the first time yesterday, during which China dispatched aircraft and naval ships to conduct “joint combat readiness patrols” around the Taiwan Strait.
China’s “joint combat” patrols are part of frequent “gray zone harassment and provocative actions around the Taiwan Strait” that disrupt regional peace and stability, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today.
The “combat readiness” drills encompass key ports and airports in urban areas of Taiwan proper, as well as important strongholds on outlying islands, reports said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
Each combat zone would conduct live exercises and incorporate a small portion of the annual live-fire drills, reports said.
The drills are designed to simulate various scenarios, and situations such as yesterday’s incident could be used as an opportunity to conduct corresponding drills to enhance readiness capabilities, Koo said.
As a countermeasure to Chinese patrols, the military said it monitored Chinese aircraft and vessels movements, demonstrating its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
From 6am yesterday to 6am today, Taiwan detected 59 Chinese aircraft, including primary and auxiliary combat aircraft, as well as drones, nine Chinese warships and two balloons around the nation, the ministry said today.
A total of 42 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, it added.
It was the highest number of Chinese aircraft registered since a record 153 were reported on Oct. 15 last year, after China staged large-scale military drills in response to President William Lai's (賴清德) Double Ten National Day speech days earlier.
Of the aircraft detected in the past 24 hours, 54 had taken part in “joint combat” patrols, the ministry said in separate statements.
A P-3C anti-submarine aircraft captured footage of a WZ-10 drone and a F-16V jet, and closely tracked the movements of a GJ-2 drone, according to images released by the ministry.
The military has never before released images of these drones, which are newer models used by China, equipped with attack capabilities.
The WZ-10 can fly at an altitude of 14,000m at a speed of 600kph, and is rumored to have stealth capabilities.
The GJ-2, which was introduced in 2017, has performance and specifications similar to the US’ MQ-9B drone that Taiwan is set to acquire.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said the actions were a “resolute response to external forces’ willful connivance and support for Taiwan independence and a stern warning to the Taiwan independence separatist forces.”
The Mainland Affairs Council today said that China’s “aggressive military expansion threatens peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region.”
“It has already become a universally recognized and undeniable troublemaker,” council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said.
Additional reporting by Lin Hsin-han
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