The Chinese military encircled Taiwan from the east and west, cutting the island off from American and Japanese forces during a large-scale war game which concluded Sunday, Chinese state-run media reported Monday.
China’s Eastern Theater Command executed aerial, naval and ballistic “real force” drills in the waters to the east and southwest of Taiwan from Friday to Sunday, Global Times reported. As the massive Liaoning aircraft carrier fleet moved in from Taiwan’s east, warplanes and additional warships reportedly arrived from the west.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense claims to have spotted 31 Chinese aircraft.
“The latest drills are like a rehearsal of possible real action, but only a partial one,” Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times. “By having the Liaoning aircraft carrier group positioned east of Taiwan, the [People’s Liberation Army (PLA)] not only cuts off possible reinforcements from foreign interference forces, but also launches attacks on military bases east of the Taiwan island, and intercepts any escape attempts from secessionist forces.”
China’s war game comes on the heels of multiple instances of saber-rattling by PLA forces, such as the stalking of the USS Sampson guided-missile destroyer in the Taiwan Strait in April. In early May, the Liaoning aircraft carrier group performed large military drills in the waters near the U.S. naval base in Sasebo, Japan.
Beijing’s show of force is a direct response to U.S. and Japanese “provocations,” Chinese military experts said in a second Global Times article. Remarks made by “influential Japanese politicians” comparing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to a hypothetical Chinese invasion of Taiwan, along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s planned trip to Taiwan, forced the PLA to launch a “powerful deterrent,” experts told Global Times.
Meanwhile, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group’s last known position was off Taiwan’s east coast on May 2, while the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group was located in the waters near a U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, according to the U.S. Naval Institute fleet tracker.
The presence of the USS Ronald Reagan and Japan’s aircraft carrier Izumo near Taiwan provided the People’s Liberation Army with “perfect practice partners,” anonymous Chinese military analysts told Global Times.
On Monday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced its Eastern Theater Command organized maritime, aerial, conventional missile and other forces around Taiwan and carried out drills around the island from Friday to Sunday. The Eastern Theater Command said the drills were intended “to test and improve the joint operations capability of multiple services and arms.”
While Taiwan governs itself as an independent nation, China considers the island a part of its territory and Chinese officials have repeatedly discussed reunification with the island, including by means of military force.
The Chinese state-run Global Times publication reported maritime, aerial, conventional missile and “other forces” participated in the drills around Taiwan. During the drills, China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier deployed east of the island while a large number of Chinese aircraft and warships carried out drills to the island’s west.
The Ministry of National Defence for the Republic of China (the formal name of the Taiwanese government) documented several instances of Chinese military aircraft entering its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the course of the three-day exercise. 12 Chinese fighter jets, two bombers and four other Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan’s ADIZ on Friday. Two bombers and three other aircraft entered Taiwan’s ADIZ on Saturday. Two more aircraft entered the ADIZ on Sunday. China flies military aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ on a near-daily basis.
Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military analyst told the Chinese state publication that the PLA’s drills were “like a rehearsal of possible real action.” Song noted the participation of air and naval forces, but noted the seeming lack of amphibious landings and actions by ground forces during the drills.
“In preparation of and a possible real action of military conflict in the Taiwan Straits, all PLA forces will play their roles, as they will surround the entire island, seal it off and launch effective strikes,” Song said according to Global Times.
Song also reportedly said “by having the Liaoning aircraft carrier group positioned east of Taiwan, the PLA not only cuts off possible reinforcements from foreign interference forces, but also launches attacks on military bases east of the Taiwan island, and intercepts any escape attempts from secessionist forces.”
The PLA appeared to conduct the drills in response to recent U.S. interactions with the island. Data from USNI News’ naval fleet tracker indicates the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) was active near Taiwan on May 2.
Song reportedly predicted “more training courses will be added, more types and a larger number of equipment will be deployed, and more frequent drills will take place if Taiwan secessionists and external interference forces do not stop.”
Aircraft Carrier Liaoning