Military drills a sign of Beijing’s increasingly aggressive stance towards Taiwan, analysts say

PLA increases military exercises around the island, many coinciding with visits by US politicians

Mainland China is preparing to ‘pre-emptively strike a potential adversary’, defence expert says

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Beijing has increased the number of military drills it has carried out near Taiwan this year. Photo: Weibo

Published: 11:00am, 17 Jul 2022Updated: 1:22pm, 17 Jul 2022

Mainland China has adopted a more aggressive military posture towards Taiwan, holding more combat-readiness drills near the self-ruled island since the beginning of the year, according to analysts.

The assessment came after the Chinese Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army conducted several large-scale joint combat-readiness exercises in the waters and airspace around Taiwan on July 8.

While details on the drills were not released, Eastern Theatre Command spokesman Shi Yi told reporters that the command had stayed on high alert and strengthened military training for war preparedness.

US Senator Rick Scott meets Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen on July 8. The PLA’s most recent military drills near Taiwan coincided with Scott’s visit to the island. Photo: CNA

The drill coincided with US Senator Rick Scott’s visit to the island, where he met key Taiwanese leaders, including President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Su Tseng-chang.

Another two Chinese combat-readiness drills in April and May were also held around the time of visits by US politicians to the island.

In late May, US Senator Tammy Duckworth conducted a three-day visit to Taiwan and reiterated America’s support when meeting the island’s president. And in mid-April, six US lawmakers visited the island in an unannounced trip.

The Chinese military denounced the visits, saying they put Taiwan in a dangerous position.

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