China holds large-scale drills around Taiwan amid US tension

Liu Xuanzun and Guo Yuandan

Beijing: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) this week announced a second large-scale military exercise around the island of Taiwan this month in a move analysts said is a powerful response to remarks by US President Joe Biden two days ago, in which he claimed the US would intervene militarily if the Chinese mainland were to reunify with Taiwan by force.

With geographical weaknesses, the isolated island of Taiwan can never become a US proxy in a protracted war like that in Ukraine, experts said, noting that with more drills, the PLA’s combat plans are becoming more mature.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command recently organized multiple military services and branches to conduct a joint alert patrol and realistic combat exercises in and above the waters around the island of Taiwan, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesperson of the Eastern Theater Command, said in a press release on Wednesday.

This is a stern warning to the recent collusive activities by the US and Taiwan secessionists, Shi said, noting that the US has been saying one thing and doing another over the Taiwan question, and frequently encouraged “Taiwan independence” forces.

It is hypocritical and futile, and will only lead the situation to a place where it becomes dangerous, with the US facing serious consequences as well, Shi said.

Taiwan is a part of China, and the theater command troops are determined and capable of defeating any secessionist attempts by external or “Taiwan independence” forces, and firmly safeguarding national sovereignty and security as well as peace and stability in the region, Shi said.

Shi’s remarks came after Biden said on Monday during his visit to Japan that the US would intervene militarily if the Chinese mainland were to reunify with the island of Taiwan by force. He walked back this remark on Tuesday, saying there had been no change to the US’ Taiwan policy of “strategic ambiguity,” media reported.

When asked if the PLA drills were related to Biden’s remarks, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular press conference on Wednesday that by hollowing out the one-China principle, by either openly or secretly encouraging and supporting “Taiwan independence” secessionist activities, the US will not only bring consequences to China-US ties that would be beyond repair, but also lead to unbearable costs for the US.

The drills around Taiwan targeted the collusion between the US and Taiwan secessionists, and were necessary actions taken to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Defense Ministry spokesperson, Senior Colonel Tan Kefei on Wednesday.

The PLA is all set to await the order for battle, and will take all necessary measures to resolutely thwart interference by external forces and “Taiwan independence” forces’ secession attempts, Tan said.

Since the joint maritime and aerial drills featured multiple military services and branches, they were likely participated in by the Navy, the Air Force and the Rocket Force of the PLA, and possibly also the Army if amphibious assaults were part of the exercises, a Chinese mainland military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Not only the “Taiwan independence” forces, but also external interference forces like the US and Japan, should realize by now that the PLA has developed to a stage in which neither the armed forces on the island of Taiwan nor other countries’ military forces – including the US – can stop the PLA from reunifying the island, as the PLA now has overwhelming military advantages on the doorsteps of China, as shown in the drills, the expert said.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command has announced at least two large-scale drills around Taiwan this month, with the other being a joint exercise announced on May 9 surrounding the island of Taiwan from its east and southwest with the participation of the Liaoning aircraft carrier group.

On Tuesday, China and Russia carried out a regular joint strategic aerial patrol in the Asia-Pacific region for the fourth consecutive year, sending bombers above the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the West Pacific. The operation was not targeted at a third party or related to current international or regional situations, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson at China’s Ministry of National Defense.

With more drills being carried out, the PLA is getting more familiar with combat plans in different situations, including those involving external military interference. If the “Taiwan independence” and external interference forces do attempt to separate Taiwan from the motherland, the PLA would be immediately ready to launch a military operation, Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times.

The US might want to copy the Ukraine model and instigate a proxy war over the Taiwan question, but Taiwan is not qualified to become a proxy because of its geographical location, Zhuo Hua, an international affairs expert at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy of Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.

Since the island is surrounded by the ocean, it can be easily blockaded by the PLA, Zhuo said. This means the island cannot fight a protracted war, and not even military aid from the US or others could reach the island because of the blockade, analysts said.

US political figures have been attempting to use the Taiwan question to disrupt the Chinese mainland’s decision-making process by making tentative or vague remarks without giving true promises to the island. But this vagueness is becoming contradictory, as the US is talking about risk management while adjusting strategies, tactics and the military to prepare for a major conflict, Zhuo said.

“In this situation, the possibility of a direct conflict between China and the US does exist and is rising, even though both sides have no intention to fight,” Zhuo warned.