By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-27 11:26:55 | Updated at 2025-03-30 15:52:05
3 days ago
Beijing has confirmed that the People’s Liberation Army conducted a military drill near Taiwan last week that followed remarks by Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te characterising the mainland as a “foreign hostile force” and announcing 17 security measures targeting it.
The admission on Thursday is a rare instance of Beijing confirming a large-scale joint exercise near the island only after its completion rather than a declaration before military manoeuvres are under way.
The “combat readiness patrol and joint exercise” drill was carried out “in recent days” by the naval and air forces of the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees the Taiwan Strait, according to Beijing defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian.
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Donald Trump declines to say if US would defend Taiwan against mainland China attack
Donald Trump declines to say if US would defend Taiwan against mainland China attack
The drill was meant “to test and enhance the combat capabilities of the troops,” Wu said during a regular ministry press briefing on Thursday.
“This is a powerful punishment for ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and a serious warning to external interference forces. It is completely legitimate and necessary,” he said.
In his strongest rhetoric yet amid rising cross-strait tensions, Taiwan’s leader announced 17 measures on March 13, citing threats from the mainland while referring to Beijing as a “hostile foreign force”. The measures include reinstating a military court system, establishing a “disclosure mechanism” for officials visiting the mainland and tightening residency criteria for individuals from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.
Taiwan’s defence ministry reported last week that the PLA had conducted a “joint combat readiness patrol” near the island on March 17, deploying 59 PLA aircraft and nine naval vessels around Taiwan.
