PLA Navy steps up real-life combat drills in East China Sea near Taiwan
- Sailors always ready for battle, Eastern Theatre Command says in online post highlighting actual combat practice
- Drills follow series of air and sea exercises in response to US lawmakers’ visit to Taiwan in April
The PLA Eastern Theatre Command on Tuesday revealed the details of a recent navy strike group drill, with a post on the naval unit’s official social media account saying the exercises were “closely related to the [PLA Navy’s] missions and tasks, focused on combat enemies and highlighted actual combat conditions”.
The training included more than 10 kinds of drills, such as close-in gun defence, main gun attack on the sea, tracking and surveillance, damage control, and search and rescue operations, according to the post.
The command did not specify the time and location of the training, but named two warships in the flotilla – Type 054 frigate the Wenzhou and a Type 056 corvette, the Deyang.
The drills appeared to be a follow-up to a series of PLA joint forces exercises in the waters and airspace around Taiwan, launched in response to a visit to the island by a bipartisan group of US lawmakers, who sought to reassure Taipei of Washington’s support in the event of an attack from mainland China.
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US delegation visits Taiwan as Beijing warns of military action against the island
Right after news of the visit broke, it was reported that the Deyang and a frigate were launching “high-intensity, full-load training” exercises.
Eastern Theatre Command spokesman Shi Yi had said at the time that the show of power was a warning against the “false signals sent out by the US on the Taiwan issue”.
Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan to be a breakaway province from the days of the unresolved Chinese civil war, to be taken back by force if necessary. Washington, while switching recognition to Beijing in 1979, has retained – and stepped up in recent years – its close ties with the government in Taipei.
US playing with fire over Taiwan, Beijing warns as it slams lawmakers’ trip
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, calls in Washington to provide more security support to Taipei have grown louder, further worsening the atmosphere over the Taiwan Strait and East China Sea.
