BEIJING: The People's Liberation Army began a massive air and naval joint exercise encircling Taiwan that will last until noon on Sunday in an unprecedented war game between the mainland and the self-governing island.
Several exercises have been taking place in six areas shortly after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taipei on Tuesday night, according to an announcement from the PLA's Eastern Theater Command, which oversees the Taiwan Straits. According to state broadcaster CCTV, Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday afternoon and practice began on Thursday afternoon.
Taiwanese air force retrieved armed Mirage 2000 and F-5 fighter jets early Thursday to monitor the situation ahead of the start of the PLA's war games, Taiwanese media reported.
The exercise shows Beijing is stepping up its intimidation campaign against Taipei after the US Congresswoman's visit, after repeatedly warning it would respond with "the most furious countermeasures".
This is the first time the PLA has staged such a large and complex war game, which it considers a de facto blockade of the island, with almost all PLA drill areas taking place across the midline that divides the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan's sensitive also covers the area. East coast.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province that must be subdued by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognize Taiwan as an independent country and support Beijing's one-China policy. However, Washington opposes any use of force to change the status quo.
In addition to live exercises involving ground troops, the Navy and the Air Force, the Eastern Theater Command said it would conduct conventional missile tests off the east coast of the island, where Taiwan's air force is based.
Neighbors warned of 'provocative action'.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has contacted China's Southeast Asian neighbors to condemn Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.
"US provocative behavior on the Taiwan issue is not an accident, but a planned farce," Wang said on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting on Wednesday.
The US conspiracy to 'use Taiwan to control China' will fail, and will not change the historical trend of an inevitable return to Taiwan's homeland.
ASEAN foreign ministers on Thursday warned against "provocative action" in the Taiwan Straits. "The situation could lead to miscalculations, serious confrontations, open conflicts and unpredictable consequences between major powers," the ministers said in a joint statement issued on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Vietnam's foreign ministry said it would stick to its "one-China policy" and urged all sides not to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
A drone takes off over Cuomoy from the mainland.
On Wednesday night, just hours after Pelosi left the island for a visit to Beijing, a drone from mainland China was found flying over Qomoy, Taiwan, angering Beijing.
Taiwan's military said an unidentified plane was found flying over Qomoy and later identified as a drone.
Since the 1950s, no mainland military aircraft, including drones, have flown over Cuomoys.
According to the ministry, soldiers in Cuomoy set fire to drones to warn and maintain combat preparedness.
The Cuomoy Archipelago lies only 3.2 kilometers off the coast of mainland China, but is governed by the self-governing island of Taiwan.
Taiwan's military said it used combined intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to "fully understand" the situation.
Taiwan's military said it "can respond quickly to emergencies."
PLA exercise encircles the island
According to Professor Meng Jiangqing of the National Defense University, the exercises include areas east of Pington Island in mainland Fujian province as well as areas off the coast of Keelung Port in northern Taiwan. Hualien and Taitung, two of Taiwan's military bases, are located in the eastern region. He also said that the aim of the exercise would be to block the Bashi Channel and airspace over Kaohsiung.
"The six key areas of this military exercise are the training areas closest to the island of Taiwan," he told state broadcaster CCTV on the Chinese mainland. "It has surrounded the island of Taiwan."
Destroyers at east of Taiwan
On Thursday morning, a mainland Chinese missile destroyer, most likely of the Type 055 Renhai class, was operating east of Taiwan, according to defense analyst HI Sutton.
The Type 055 is considered only second in power to the US Navy's Zumwalt-class stealth ships. It is intended to be a multi-role warship with weapons capable of countering missiles, ships and submarines.
The destroyers are also outfitted with the country's most advanced integrated electric propulsion system, allowing them to travel up to 10,000 nautical miles without refueling – 212 times the PLA's most numerous in-service warship, the Type 054 multi-role frigate More.
This morning, a Chinese missile destroyer was operating east of Taiwan. The Type-055 Renhai class, described as a cruiser, is most likely.
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