China military 'completes tasks' around Taiwan, plans regular patrols

Agencies | Beijing/ Taipei                                                                    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

China's military has "completed various tasks" around Taiwan but will conduct regular patrols, it said on Wednesday, potentially signalling an end to days of war games but also that Beijing will keep up its pressure on the island.

Furious at a visit to Taipei last week by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, China had extended its largest-ever exercises around the self-ruled island it claims as its own beyond the four days originally scheduled.

Last week's drills included launches of ballistic missiles, some of which flew over the island's capital of Taipei, and simulated sea and air attacks in surrounding skies and waters.

In a brief statement, the Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said its joint military operations around Taiwan had "successfully completed various tasks and effectively tested the integrated combat capabilities of the troops".

It added, "Theatre forces will keep an eye on the changes in the situation in the Taiwan Strait, continue to carry out training and preparation for combat, organise regular combat readiness patrols in the direction of the Taiwan Strait, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

There was no immediate reaction from Taiwan.

Earlier on Wednesday, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters that Chinese navy ships were active off both the east and west coasts of Taiwan.

As of the afternoon, the Chinese navy continued activities near the median line, an unofficial buffer in the Taiwan Strait, and Chinese fighter jets also continued to fly close to the line, the source said.

Taiwan has dispatched airplanes and ships to the area to monitor the situation, the source added, saying, "They are like flies."

Video from state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday showed Chinese fighter jets scrambling and refuelling in mid-air, as well as navy ships on what it said were drills around Taiwan.

China's military said the drills were focused on blockades and resupply logistics, "under a complex electromagnetic environment to refine joint containment and control capabilities", according to CCTV.

Taiwan's defence ministry said 17 Chinese fighter jets crossed the median line on Wednesday.

'REGRET' AT OPPOSITION TRIP

Andrew Hsia, deputy chairman of Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang, flew to China for what his party said was a pre-arranged trip to meet Taiwanese engaged in business.

Hsia told reporters he was not going to Beijing and did not have any official meetings arranged.

However, Taiwan expressed "regret" at the trip coming amid the Chinese drills.

"At this moment, the Kuomintang still insisted on going to China, disappointing our people," said President Tsai Ing-wen.

Taiwan's foreign minister said on Tuesday that China was using the military drills as a gameplan to prepare for an invasion of the democratically governed island.

Pelosi, a long-time China critic and political ally of President Joe Biden, visited Taiwan last week on the highest-level visit to the island by an American official in decades, despite Chinese warnings.

She said her visit showed unwavering U.S. commitment to supporting Taiwan's democracy.

China says its relations with Taiwan are an internal matter and it reserves the right to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary. Taiwan rejects China's claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.

Washington was sticking to its assessment that China would not try to invade Taiwan for the next two years, a Pentagon official said on Monday.  

On Wednesay, Taiwan's Defence Ministry released a video of exercises by its armed forces, saying its military was "at the ready, keeping our country safe" and China had not stopped its "incursions" nearby.

Taiwan troops were guarding their posts "24-7" and have stepped up their alertness level, the ministry said, following the guidelines of "defending the median line, defending territorial waters and defending sovereignty" to maintain the status quo.