China’s military conducted a second day of war simulations around Taiwan on Friday, testing its ability to “seize power” and control key areas in drills aimed at punishing Taiwan’s new president, Lai Qin Ti, Beijing said.
The two-day drills in the Taiwan Strait and around groups of islands controlled by Taiwan near China’s coast began just three days after Lai took office, and include mock bombing of foreign ships, a Taiwanese official said.
China’s state television said the military sent bombers with active missiles to carry out mock strikes in exercises near Taiwan on Friday. Bombers from the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Command deployed in several attack formations in waters east of Taiwan, carrying out mock attacks in coordination with navy ships, it added.
Taiwanese authorities have condemned China’s actions.
China views democratic Taiwan as its territory and denounces Lai as a “separatist”.
It sharply criticized his inauguration speech on Monday, in which he called on Beijing to end its threats and said the two sides of the strait were “not subservient to each other”.
The command of the People’s Liberation Army of Southeast China said in a brief statement that the forces continued exercises called “Combined Sword – 2024A” on Friday.
The exercises serve to “test the ability to jointly take over power, launch joint attacks and capture key areas,” the statement said.
China has never ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
Taiwan’s armed forces mobilized to monitor and monitor the actions of Chinese forces.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense on Friday released a photo of F-16 fighter jets, armed with active missiles, patrolling the skies.
The ministry announced that 49 Chinese military aircraft, 19 naval and seven coast guard ships had been detected as of 6 a.m. Friday. Of the planes, 28 crossed the center line of the strait, which once served as an unofficial barrier, although China says it does not recognize it.
The closest the Chinese plane came to the coast of Taiwan was 74 km from the city and naval base of Keelung in northern Taiwan, according to a map provided by the Taiwanese ministry, Hina writes.
Photo: AP
