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Chinese military response after Taiwan-US talks shorter this time but seen to clear crucial blockade tests
- Exercises aimed to practise cutting off Taiwan’s energy supplies, while blocking resources from ‘foreign forces’ and escape routes, PLA senior colonel says
- Fighter jet drills from aircraft carrier stationed off weaker east side of Taiwan cited as major breakthrough by former Taiwanese naval instructor
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Just-concluded Chinese military drills around Taiwan may have been less intense than the ones in August, but are being seen as a crucial test of Beijing’s ability to blockade the island and frustrate any new aid strategies.
Breakthroughs cited by analysts included fighter jet exercises from an aircraft carrier positioned off Taiwan’s less-fortified eastern coast – in manoeuvres expected to boost the People’s Liberation Army’s combat readiness in case of cross-strait conflict.
The three-day drills ending Monday came shortly after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a stopover in California, in defiance of Beijing’s repeated warnings against such a move.
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But they were shorter than the week-long live-fire exercise launched after Tsai defied similar warnings and met the previous speaker Nancy Pelosi in Taipei on August 3.
Nonetheless, the latest drills – which included simulated precision strikes – ended with a record number of PLA aircraft deployed.
04:17
China’s military simulates precision strikes on Taiwan after island’s leader returns from US visit
China’s military simulates precision strikes on Taiwan after island’s leader returns from US visit
These included 91 sorties near the Taiwan Strait in the 24 hours leading up to 6am on Tuesday, according to the defence ministry in Taipei.
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