Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Mouthpiece Global Times: 'People's Liberation Army Holds Joint Drills Surrounding Taiwan Island To Punish Secessionist Forces'

Following the inaugural speech of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te,[1] in which it was stressed Taiwan's sovereignty, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on May 23, 2024 morning launched a two-day military exercise surrounding the island of Taiwan in a move aiming to punish "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces.

On the first day of the PLA exercises, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 49 Chinese military aircraft, 19 naval ships, and seven coast guard vessels. "Of the 49 PLA aircraft, 35 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northern, central, and southwest sectors of the country's air defense identification zone (ADIZ)... Seven Chinese fighter planes were monitored in the northeast portion of the ADIZ, while seven stayed on the Chinese side of the median line. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor the PLA military drills," Taiwan News reported.[2]

On May 24, Chinese defense spokesperson, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, stated: "The military drills around Taiwan aim to crack down on the arrogance of 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and deter the interference and intervention of external forces, which are completely reasonable, lawful, legitimate, and necessary... Taiwan is China's Taiwan, and how to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter for over 1.4 billion Chinese people... With each provocation of the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces, our countermeasures will advance one step further until the complete reunification of the motherland is realized."[3]

Taiwan Ministry of National Defense strongly condemned China's "irrational provocations and actions" that "undermine regional peace and stability." "We have dispatched sea, air and ground forces to respond ... to defend freedom, democracy and the sovereignty of the Republic of China (ROC)," it stated, adding that "all officers and soldiers of the armed forces are prepared". "We uphold the strong will of 'preparing for war, not asking for war, responding to war, and not avoiding war'," Taiwan Ministry of National Defense said.[4]

"We uphold the strong will of 'preparing for war, not asking for war, responding to war, and not avoiding war'," it said, adding that it was "confident to ensure the security of our country".

Commenting on the drills, National Taiwan University associate professor of political science Chen Shih-min said: "The PLA exercises are an expression of China's discontent with Lai's election aimed at the international community... the drills [are] a symbolic declaration of dissatisfaction and a warning to the outside world reinforcing Beijing's stance that Taiwan is a part of China... China is not likely to embrace significant acts of military adventurism in the months leading up to the US presidential election in November, as rash actions might tempt US President Joe Biden or former US president Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, to call for harsher measures against Beijing...Beijing's top priorities lie with China's economy and resolving other internal problems... hardline actions run the risk of scaring away foreign investors."[5]

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) holds the Joint Sword-2024A exercises in the Taiwan Straits, the north, south and east of the Taiwan island, as well as areas around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin from May 23-24, 2024. Illustration: Courtesy of the PLA Eastern Theater Command. (Source: Global Times)

(Source: Taiwan Ministry of National Defense)

(Source: CNA)

On May 23, 2024, Taiwan President Lai visited a military camp in Taoyuan. (Source: Taipei Times)

This handout photo taken on May 23, 2024 and released by Taiwan's Defense Ministry on May 24, 2024 shows Taiwanese air force F-16 fighter jets in an unknown location. China on May 23 encircled Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft in war games aimed at punishing the self-ruled island after its new president vowed to defend democracy. (Source: Taiwan Defense Ministry)

Honor guards raise Taiwan's flag on Democracy Boulevard at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei on May 23, 2024. (Source: X)

(See full tweet by Taiwan Ministry of National Defense)

(See full tweet by Taiwan Ministry of National Defense)

Below is an article about the drills by CCP mouthpiece Global Times:[6]

Drills "Designed To Surround" Taiwan "From Both The East And The West"

"The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Thursday [May 23, 2024] morning launched a military exercise surrounding the island of Taiwan in a move aiming to punish 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces and to send a warning to external interference forces following Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's separatist inaugural speech on May 20.

"Designed to surround the island of Taiwan from both the east and the west, the exercises display the PLA's strike capability across all directions of the island without any blind spots, forming a situation where the island is pinned down from both sides, experts said.

"The PLA Eastern Theater Command started joint military drills surrounding the island of Taiwan from 7:45 am on Thursday, the theater command said in a press release early on the day.

"The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Straits, the north, south and east of Taiwan Island, as well as areas around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin, the theater command said, attaching a map depicting nine exercise zones surrounding the island of Taiwan.

"Senior Captain Li Xi, a spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said that military services including the army, navy, air force and rocket force of the theater command are being organized to conduct the joint drills, code-named Joint Sword-2024A, from Thursday to Friday May 23-24, 2024]. The drills focus on joint sea-air combat-readiness patrols, joint seizure of comprehensive battlefield control, and joint precision strikes on key targets, Li said, adding that the exercises involve the patrol of vessels and planes closing in on areas around the island of Taiwan and integrated operations inside and outside the island chain to test the real joint combat capabilities of the command's forces.

"Li said the drills also serve as a strong punishment for the separatist acts of 'Taiwan independence' forces and a stern warning against interference and provocation by external forces.

The Chinese national flag waves on a Chinese People's Liberation Army warship as it conducts joint military drills surrounding the island of Taiwan on May, 23 2024. (Source: Global Times)

(Source: Global Times)

(Source: Global Times)

Chinese warships monitored around Taiwan during first day of drills. (Source: Taiwan's MND)

"The Fallacy Of Secession"

"The exercises by the PLA came after Lai, the new regional leader on the island of Taiwan, made an inaugural speech on Monday in which he stubbornly adhered to 'Taiwan independence,' loudly propagated the fallacy of secession, incited confrontation and antagonism across the Taiwan Straits, and expressed his intention to 'rely on external forces to seek 'independence'" and "seek 'independence' by force.'

"Since then-US house speaker Nancy Pelosi's provocative visit to the island of Taiwan in August 2022, the PLA has organized several rounds of large-scale exercises as countermeasures to provocations by 'Taiwan independence' secessionists and their collusions with external forces, in addition to holding regular patrols and training exercises in the region.

"Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a routine press conference on Thursday that the joint exercises safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, forcefully punish 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces' separatist moves, and firmly warn against interference and provocations by external forces.

"The drills fully conform to international law and practices, and are completely rightful and necessary, Wang said.

On May 23, 2024, the coast guard in East China's Fujian province organized a vessel fleet to conduct comprehensive law enforcement drills in the Taiwan Strait. In a statement, Gan Yu, spokesperson for the China Coast Guard, said that the law enforcement drills took place near the islands of Wuqiu and Dongyin. Both islands are located within the Taiwan Strait. The law enforcement exercise is looking to test the capabilities of joint patrols, rapid response and emergency handling, he said. (Source: China Coast Guard)

(Source: China Coast Guard)

Drills "Designed To Serve As A Strong Deterrence And Warning"

"Chen Binhua, spokesperson of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement on Thursday that the PLA drills are a resolute punishment for the Taiwan regional leader's provocative May 20 speech that sought 'independence,' a stern warning to external forces that support 'Taiwan independence' and interfere in China's internal affairs, and a rightful move to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Tong Zhen, a research fellow at the Academy of Military Sciences of the PLA, told the Global Times on Thursday that the latest exercises feature an integrated plan covering the main island of Taiwan and its outlying islands.

"For the outlying islands, the drills cover the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin, while for the main island of Taiwan, combat alert patrols surround the island, with warships and warplanes closing in on multiple locations only steps away from its coastlines, effectively pressuring the island's so-called space for military defense, Tong said.

"Meanwhile, in addition to the PLA's exercises, the coast guard of East China's Fujian Province on Thursday launched a comprehensive law enforcement exercise in waters around Wuqiu and Dongyin islands in a move to test its joint patrol, rapid reaction and emergency response capabilities, Gan Yu, a spokesperson of the China Coast Guard (CCG), said on Thursday in a press release.

"A map illustrating the location of this exercise released by the CCG on Thursday shows that the Fujian Coast Guard 14606 flotilla circled around Wuqiu, coming as close as 2.8 nautical miles to Dawuqiu and three nautical miles to Xiaowuqiu. Meanwhile, in the direction of Dongyin island, the Fujian Coast Guard 14607 flotilla came as close as 3.2 nautical miles to Dongyin island. The actions in both directions effectively shattered the Taiwan authorities' claim of so-called restricted waters.

"It is the first time the mainland's coast guard vessels have entered waters around Wuqiu and Dongyin islands, Tong said.

"Designed to serve as a strong deterrence and warning, the exercise destroyed the notion of so-called restricted waters imposed by the island of Taiwan, Tong said.

"'Wuqiu and Dongyin islands are outlying islands of the main island of Taiwan, with high strategic importance and high military value. They are close to the mainland and oversee key transportation routes in the Taiwan Straits. Taiwan's military views them as the front line in their defense operations and a crucial point for implementing 'multiple layers of deterrence',' a source close to the matter told the Global Times on Thursday.

"'The CCG is clearly issuing a warning that if the situation further deteriorates, the Kinmen model[7] might be replicated in other areas of the Taiwan Straits,' the source said."

"The Exercises Feature The Acts Of Destroying, Trapping And Blocking In One Move"

"The joint operation conducted by China's maritime law enforcement forces and various military branches of the PLA Eastern Theater Command in the Taiwan Straits undoubtedly holds historical significance, experts said.

"The PLA's exercises are designed with both the east and the west of the island of Taiwan in mind, Tong said. 'To the west of the main island of Taiwan, the main operations are being held in waters around Wuqiu and Dongyin islands, while to the east of the main island, joint forces are organized to carry out sea and land assault drills, showing that the PLA has the ability to strike all directions of the island without any blind spots, forming a situation where the island is pinned down from both sides,' she said.

"The exercises feature the acts of destroying, trapping and blocking in one move, experts said. 'Destroying means removing and paralyzing the support for the 'Taiwan independence' forces by simulating strikes on major military and political targets in the northern part of the island under the PLA's strong reconnaissance, early warning and information support systems. Trapping means targeting the bases of the 'Taiwan independence' forces, as the PLA will pinch the island's maritime gateways such as Kaohsiung and trap the island's naval forces within their ports. Blocking means cutting off external logistics support, as the PLA forces are carrying out simulated strikes in the sea and air near the offshore routes off Hualien, demonstrating the ability to seize power and control the island,' Tong said.

"It forms a powerful deterrent against the separatist Lai administration and issues a serious warning against interference and provocation by external forces, Tong said. Observers also noted that the codename of the exercise, Joint Sword-2024A, indicates that there might be more exercises to come with code-names Joint Sword-2024B and Joint Sword-2024C should 'Taiwan independence' secessionists and external interference forces continue to make provocations."

"Cross-Straits Lethality"

"With the exercises underway, the PLA Eastern Theater Command released a set of posters themed 'Cross-Straits Lethality,' depicting some of its weaponry aimed at 'Taiwan independence' secessionists, including the J-20 stealth fighter jet, the J-16 multirole fighter jet, the Type 052D guided missile destroyer, the Type 071 comprehensive landing ship, the DF-16A short-range ballistic missile, and the modularized long-range multiple launch rocket system.

"These are just some of the typical weapons and equipment in the military preparations for dealing with the Taiwan question, a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Thursday.

"In the air, the J-20 can take advantage of its stealth capability and break down hostile air defenses, while the J-16 can drop a large number of munitions on ground targets; at sea; the Type 052D can seize control and block maritime access to the island, while the Type 071 can carry heavily equipped landing troops to cross the Straits; the DF-16A can conduct precision strikes on high-value military and political targets; and the modularized long-range multiple launch rocket system can ensure artillery fire superiority with relatively low cost, the above-quoted expert said.

"Videos obtained by the Global Times on Thursday show dozens of warplanes, multiple destroyers and frigates of the PLA Eastern Theater Command encircling the island of Taiwan and its outlying islands, conducting mock strikes during the exercise.

"The PLA Eastern Theater Command conducted sea assault, land attack, air defense and anti-submarine exercises in waters and air space north and south of Taiwan island on Thursday, according to the theater command's spokesperson.

"The PLA has a complete arsenal available to resolve the Taiwan question if prospects for peaceful reunification no longer exist, and the 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces and external interference forces should fully realize that the PLA is fully determined and capable of safeguarding China's national sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests, analysts said."