China Carries Out Huge Drills Around Taiwan
Timing coincides with U.S. Secretary of Defense's first visit to Asia
On Tuesday, China's navy carried out a massive drill in the Western Pacific as a "stern warning" to the independent government of Taiwan.
It was the latest in a series of muscular exercises that many analysts view as a rehearsal for a naval blockade or invasion. The People's Liberation Army used similar language, describing the drill as a preparatory exercise for "seizing comprehensive control, striking maritime and land targets and imposing blockade controls." An estimated 20 Chinese warships and 70 military aircraft joined the exercise.
The carrier Shandong and her escorts joined the operation in a major show of force. According to the Japan Self Defense Force, the task force was spotted east of Taiwan, positioned to interdict vessels arriving from the Pacific and the Philippine Sea.
Political science professor Ja Ian Ching of the National University of Singapore told Bloomberg that the political objective of China's drills is to "weaken confidence in U.S. deterrence" and display how far the Chinese military can go in operating near Taiwan.
"The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affairs that brook no external interference," asserted Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun in a press conference Tuesday. "The DPP authorities are hellbent on seeking 'Taiwan independence,' and attempt to solicit external support for that agenda . . . The historical trend that China will and must achieve reunification is unstoppable."