TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – The Chinese military said on Monday that it was “ready for combat” after completing three days of large-scale combat exercises around Taiwan, including an island blockade in response to the Taiwanese president’s visit to the United States last week .
The Chinese military has previously said that Joint His Sword’s “combat readiness patrols” are intended to warn against the autonomy of Taiwan, which China claims is its own.
The appearance of a Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific suggests it could be used to deter foreign forces from supporting Taiwan, says the government-backed Defense Intelligence Institute.
“If there are similar military exercises in the future, Taiwan will have to deal with them alone,” Han said.
A total of 70 planes were spotted transiting the Taiwan Strait between 6 a.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense. Among the aircraft that crossed the median were eight J-16 fighters, four J-1 fighters, eight Su-30 fighters, and a reconnaissance aircraft. Taiwan also tracked down her J-15 fighter docked on the aircraft carrier Shandong.
As of Monday night, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense reported another 91 flights by bombers, as well as several fighter jets, early warning aircraft and military transport aircraft.
This was followed by the discovery of eight of her warships and 71 of her aircraft near Taiwan in his one day from Friday to Saturday, according to the island’s defense ministry. The statement said it was approaching the situation from the perspective of “not escalating or creating conflict.”
Taiwan said it monitors China’s movements not only through its own naval vessels, but also through land-based missile systems. China’s military harassment of Taiwan has intensified in recent years, with planes and ships being sent to the island on an almost daily basis, in increasing numbers in response to classified operations. Since Pelosi’s visit, military activity has intensified, with Chinese People’s Liberation Army fighter jets regularly flying across the border. PLA naval vessels regularly navigate waters off the northeastern coast of Taiwan, experts say.
Meanwhile, in the South China Sea, the US 7th Fleet said the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius passed Mischief Reef in a freedom of navigation operation. China built artificial islands under the sea to claim sovereignty. China said the United States had “illegally encroached into waters near coral reefs” without the permission of the Chinese government, according to a statement from the Chinese military’s Southern Command.
Outside of military exercises, Kuo said he was concerned last week that the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration announced it would conduct “on-site inspections” of cargo and work vessels in the Taiwan Strait as part of patrol exercises.
“They will target ships traveling between the Straits first, then international ships,” he said. “Gradually, this is becoming the de facto new status quo.”
A U.S. official who attended a meeting with Tsai last week said on Saturday that the U.S. must take China’s threat to Taiwan seriously. Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives for China, Mike Gallagher, told the Associated Press that he plans to strengthen the island government’s defenses and lead his committee to lobby Congress to accelerate military aid to Taiwan.
