Taiwan says PLA simulated military attack on main island

Taiwan’s defence ministry said it observed several units of mainland Chinese planes and ships operating in the Taiwan Strait, saying they appeared to be simulating an attack on the main island. The ministry said its forces detected “multiple batches of communist planes and ships conducting activities around the Taiwan Strait, some of which crossed the median line”. Without offering details, the People’s Liberation Army said it tested its land and sea assault capabilities in Taiwan’s northern, southwestern and eastern waters and airspace. The PLA has mounted unprecedented war games near Taiwan in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. The live-fire drills are expected to continue until noon on Sunday. Crossing the line PLA planes made 20 flights into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone on Saturday, 14 of which crossed the median line, the Taiwanese defence ministry said. The total number of flights was 35 fewer than on Friday. The aircraft included Su-30, J-16 and J-11 fighter jets, as well as one Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft and a Y-20 tanker. The ministry also said PLA vessels made 14 trips around the island. Keeping tabs Taiwan’s anti-missile squadron has been using the high-performance radars of its PAC-3 missile defence systems to track PLA activities in the Taiwan Strait, according to the defence ministry-affiliated Military News Agency. The agency said the squadron had been tasked to closely monitor the PLA’s air and guided missile activities since Thursday and prepare for or respond to various contingencies. The agency did not give details of how many PLA warplanes and guided missiles the squadron had tracked. Taiwan missile official dies The deputy head of the Taiwanese defence ministry’s research and development unit was found dead in a hotel room in the island’s south on Saturday morning, succumbing to a heart attack, according to the official Central News Agency. The deceased was Ou Yang Li-hsing, deputy head of the military-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, CNA reported. Authorities said 57-year-old Ou Yang died of a heart attack and the hotel room showed no sign of any “intrusion”. The report quoted his family as saying he had a history of heart disease and had a cardiac stent. Ou Yang was on a business trip to the southern county of Pingtung, CNA said, adding that he had assumed the post early this year to supervise various missile production projects. Closer look Mainland state media have released a photo of what appears to be the closest a PLA vessel has ever ventured to the Taiwanese coast. State news agency Xinhua released the image of a soldier monitoring the ROCS Lan Yang, a Chi Yang-class frigate. While mainland media did not specify where the photo was taken, the terrain behind the Lan Yang appears to be that behind the Ho-Ping Power Station in Hualien county on the east coast of Taiwan. The white structure in the photo also corresponds with the power plant’s smokestack. European visitors Taiwan’s foreign ministry said a delegation of 11 Lithuanian officials and electric bus business representatives would arrive in Taiwan on Sunday for a five-day trip. The group will be led by Agnė Vaiciukevičiūtė, the Lithuanian deputy minister of transport and communications. Ties between Beijing and Vilnius soured after Lithuania allowed Taipei to open its de facto embassy in its capital as a “Taiwanese representative office”, a departure from the usual practice of using “Taipei” to avoid suggesting Taiwan is a sovereign country. Rolling medical training The PLA staged medical drills on a high-speed train transformed into a mobile hospital on Friday, suggesting the military was preparing for the possibility of casualties. Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily said the train was equipped with a surgical theatre and an intensive care unit, and could accommodate more than 100 patients. Sea and sky Taiwan’s defence ministry said multiple PLA warships and warplanes were detected in the morning in waters around Taiwan, with some briefly crossing the median line. The ministry said the vessels and aircraft simulated attacks on Taiwan proper. The Taiwanese military issued radio warnings, scrambled jets and naval vessels and deployed missiles to warn them off. The ministry did not say how many planes and ships were involved. Silent treatment Top Chinese military officials have not returned multiple calls from their American counterparts this week, Politico reported, citing three people with knowledge of the attempts. Officials and experts say China’s silence is a short-sighted and reckless move that increases the risk of escalation in an already tense situation, according to the report. On Friday, Beijing said several military dialogues with the US would be cancelled. Those cancellations included talks between the leaders of the Chinese and US military theatres, the working-level meeting of the Chinese and US defence ministries and the consultation mechanism on maritime military safety. Drone activity The Taiwanese military said on Saturday that seven drone flights took place over Quemoy on Friday night. The islands, also known as the Kinmen, are controlled by Taipei but are very close to the mainland Chinese province of Fujian. Flares were also fired on Friday night to warn off drones and unidentified aircraft over the Matsu Islands and Dongyin, the Taiwanese military said. Fighter jets, bombers, airborne early warning aircraft and reconnaissance planes flew around Taiwan in the drills on Friday, CCTV said. PLA pilot Hou Hong told CCTV that he and others flew close to the island on a mission designed to deter and add pressure. The Taiwanese defence ministry said that on Friday 49 flights from the mainland crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait separating the two sides. State news agency Xinhua also said PLA drones took images of rockets hitting targets in the Taiwan Strait. Sanctions on Pelosi On Friday, China announced sanctions on Pelosi and her direct family members. The ministry said her trip to Taiwan was a serious violation of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Tougher talk State news agency Xinhua published scathing criticism of Pelosi on Saturday, accusing her of “six sins” with her trip to Taiwan. The opinion piece said the visit violated the three communiqués – joint statements that form the basis of modern US-China ties. It also accused the US of “hollowing out” the one-China principle. Washington has repeatedly said it only acknowledges but does not affirm Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China. Xinhua also accused Pelosi of interfering with China’s internal affairs and of pursuing self-interest to improve prospects for the Democratic Party in the US midterm elections in November. Pelosi dismissed the claim and said she went to the island to show support for Taiwan’s democracy as Beijing heightened tensions. No climate cooperation China has also suspended cooperation with the United States in the fight against climate change. Regular dialogues between the world’s two most powerful armed forces have also been cancelled, making it harder for them to prevent accidental conflicts. Beijing also said it would stop cooperating in tackling the drugs trade, fighting crime and repatriating illegal immigrants. The drills also led to a diplomatic fallout with neighbours. The Group of 7’s top diplomats criticised Beijing for “increasing tensions and destabilising the region”. Apple Inc customs caution Apple Inc has asked suppliers to ensure that shipments from Taiwan to mainland China comply with the latter’s customs regulations to avoid them being held for scrutiny, according to a Nikkei report on Friday. The iPhone maker told suppliers that Beijing had started enforcing a long-standing rule that Taiwanese-made parts and components must be labelled as made either in “Taiwan, China” or “Chinese Taipei”, the report added, citing sources familiar with the matter. Apple iPhone assembler Pegatron Corp said its mainland China plant was operating normally, in response to a media report that shipments to Pegatron’s factory in mainland China were being held for scrutiny by customs officials. Taiwanese supply and assembly partners Foxconn and Pegatron are ramping up manufacturing efforts as Apple is set to launch its new iPhone in September. Additional reporting by Reuters