Chinese International Affairs Expert: PLA Jets Patrolling Over Taiwan Were In 'Quasi-State Of War,' Were Familiarizing Themselves With The 'Battlefield'

Chinese international affairs expert Teng Jianqun said in an interview on CCTV7 (China) that was posted to the internet on January 29, 2022 that frequent flyovers of the PLA air force over Taiwan were meant for the PLA to make an "assessment of the various meteorological, hydrological or aerial characteristics of the region, [and] it will provide some guarantee for large-scale combat operations in the future." Teng elaborated that the PLA jets were getting "familiar with the battlefield situation." The show in which Teng was interviewed also cited Taiwanese Internet users who said that the PLA jets operated in a "quasi-state of war," a view which Teng echoed. CCTV7, which belongs to the CCP mouthpiece China Central Television, is the channel dedicated to national defense issues. The interview was posted on the Military Fans World channel on YouTube.

Due to the nature of Chinese media (virtually all domestic Chinese media outlets are controlled by the CCP), Chinese broadcasters often quote real or fictional "foreign media sources or Internet users" to make statements that might sound too provocative if stated directly by official government agencies, such as Chinese Ministry of National Defense. This method also gives an impression of objectivity to the CCP mouthpiece outlets.

Narrator: "[Taiwanese] island media claimed on January 25 that PLA military aircraft entered Taiwan's southwest airspace twice that day. On the same day, a P-8A anti-submarine aircraft of the U.S. military suddenly crossed the Taiwan Strait from the South China Sea after passing through the Bashi Channel.

"During that time, an RC-135W electronic reconnaissance aircraft was active in the southern mouth of the Taiwan Strait and multiple military aircraft engaged frequently over the Taiwan Island.

"The day before, the Taiwanese air force claimed that the PLA's J-16D electronic-warfare aircrafts appeared in the southwest airspace of the Taiwan island for the first time, and the island's media claimed that the J-16Ds could be conducting a simulated air electronic defense exercise, and presumptuously speculated that the J-16D could cooperate with the J-20, J-16, J-10C and other advanced fighters in various forms to seize the information and air superiority over the strait.

"They also hyped that the PLA's J-20 may be equipped with directed-energy weapons in the future, and there may even be a variant version with early warning, unmanned flight and UAV-control capabilities.

"The Taiwanese media have touted the Taiwanese military's ability to defend and counter the PLA's electronic warfare, citing the so-called advanced electronic pods mounted on Taiwan air force's main fighters such as F-16V and Mirage 2000, the latest Teng Yun II UAV, and even the passive bistatic radar vehicle deployed to Penghu earlier, that can track the J-20s, as reported by the media.

"Taiwan's defense department also claimed that Taiwanese military has completed the deployment of Tien Kung mobile equipment and missiles in the southwest, and plans to deploy TK-3 air defense missiles throughout the island, together with 'Patriot III' missiles to carry out anti-missile missions against important targets.

"This means that Taiwan's air defense missile range can fully cover the Bashi channel airspace, the report said."

Interviewer: "Mr. Teng, we've seen that the [Taiwan] island media recently seized on a so-called detail, saying that our patrolling J-16s could carry more than 20 missiles, but they've been flying without those missiles recently. Internet users on the island have different views on this matter.

"Some say it's just for show, others say it's really calculating what's called 'quasi-state of war,' and they can calculate exactly the best position for aerial refueling, and so on, what do you think?"

Teng Jianqun: "Look at it as a whole, whether or not to carry missiles during the patrol flights to the relevant airspace near the Taiwan island is in accordance with the needs of peacetime or wartime. For example, if you can make assessment of the various meteorological, hydrological or aerial characteristic of this region, it will provide some guarantee for large-scale combat operations in the future.

"So now we are conducting this patrol in this region with an overwhelming advantage. I think that the latter opinion, the analysis of some Internet users in Taiwan, is very clear and correct. That is, to get familiar with the battlefield situation."