China’s PLA forces carry out landing drills near Taiwan outpost days after elections

The People’s Liberation Army based in the Fujian provincial city of Xiamen – 10km opposite one of self-ruled Taiwan’s outposts – has carried out live-fire exercises and landing drills just days after the pro-independence opposition party won elections in Taiwan.

Military experts said the drills were aimed at sending a “political warning” to Taiwan’s president-elect Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of Democratic Progressive Party, that Beijing would never give up using “non-peaceful means” to solve cross-strait issues.

In a report late on Wednesday, the China Central Television’s military channel said the 31st Group Army, based in southeastern Xiamen, had carried out the drills in “recent days”, although it did not give an exact location.

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It showed amphibious armoured vehicles ploughing through the sea towards a landing spot, helicopters firing missiles at locations on shore and soldiers parachuting down from helicopters.

The report made no direct mention of Saturday’s Taiwan election.

The mainland’s Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it was “aware of the information”, but declined to comment further.

Xiamen lies opposite to Quemoy, an island controlled by Taiwan since Kuomintang military forces were defeated by the Communists and fled to Taiwan in 1949.

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