Advertisement
Taiwan
ChinaMilitary

Chinese military declares Taiwan live-fire drills over, with blockade capacity tested

  • While shorter than drills following Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, latest exercises are seen as key test of PLA precision strike and blockade capacities
  • Regular exercises around Taiwan could become normalised to demonstrate Beijing’s sovereign claims over self-ruled island, observer says

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
99+
An Eastern Theatre Command fighter jets takes off from the flight deck of the Shandong, as the PLA aircraft carrier group takes part in the ‘Joint Sword’ exercises around Taiwan. Photo: Handout
Jack Lau
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday night announced the end of its second major live-fire exercise in eight months targeted at Taiwan, after three days of simulated precision strikes that experts say could normalise such drills.
The “Joint Sword” exercises, coming days after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen defied Beijing to meet the US House speaker, were shorter than the drills launched in response to Nancy Pelosi’s Taipei visit last year. But they were significant in testing both the PLA’s precision strike and blockade capacities, the observers said.

The PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees the Taiwan Strait, launched the war games on Saturday in response to Tsai’s talks with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California on Wednesday, during a stopover on her way back from Central America.

04:39

Taiwan residents living within sight of mainland China voice concerns over live-fire drills

Taiwan residents living within sight of mainland China voice concerns over live-fire drills

It was the highest-level meeting for the two sides on US soil since Washington officially broke ties with Taipei and recognised Beijing as China’s sole government in 1979.

Advertisement

Beijing had repeatedly warned against such a meeting, vowing “resolute and powerful measures” if it went ahead.

The US State Department has said the Congress was a coequal branch of government, and a speaker of the House of Representatives could plan their itinerary independently.

Advertisement
When then US House speaker Pelosi visited Taiwan in August, also defying multiple warnings from Beijing, the Chinese government responded with a week-long live-fire military exercise that amounted to a blockade of the island.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x