PLA’s Taiwan live-fire drills ‘highlight military’s joint warfare advances’
- Military analyst says manoeuvres also point to gains in the PLA’s long-range denial capacity
- Warning of ‘stronger’ countermeasures if provocation grows
With the support of early-warning and jamming aircraft, fighter planes, and warships, the air force conducted joint precision strike exercises and crossed the Taiwan Strait from the north and south, the command said.
Although there was no official announcement that the drills had ended, mainland military analysts declared the exercises a success, particularly in joint operations.
“These are the first joint naval and air exercises surrounding the entire island of Taiwan in a very strong real-world context,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Meng Xiangqing from the PLA’s National Defence University as saying.
“It fully reflects the great improvements in joint warfare capabilities.”
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Meng said there were also advances in the military’s long-range denial ability, with targets set on the eastern side of the island for the first time.