China's military drills around the island come three days after Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan's new president.
China 's military drills around the island come three days after Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan 's new president.BEIJING: China launched"punishment" drills around Taiwan on Thursday in what it said was a response to"separatist acts", sending up heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced
The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, the north, south and east of Taiwan, as well as areas around the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin, the command said in a statement, the first time China's exercises have included areas round these islands. "The launch of military exercises on this occasion not only does not contribute to the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, it also highlights militaristic mentality," the ministry said.
Lai's speech was a confession of a desire for Taiwan independence and undermined peace and stability across the strait, it said. Those drills include crossing the strait's median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier, and staging mock attacks on Taiwanese and foreign vessels, the official added.
The drills focus on joint sea-air combat-readiness patrols, precision strikes on key targets, and integrated operations inside and outside the island chain to test the"joint real combat capabilities" of the forces, China's military said.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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