Beijing continues military drills in Taiwan Strait for second day

The People’s Liberation Army has conducted military exercises in the central and southern Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.

The PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command spokesman, Senior Colonel Shi Yi of the Army, said “the Strait Thunder-2025A” drills focus on tasks such as verification and identification, warning and expulsion, interception, and detention, aiming to test the troops’ capabilities in area control, joint blockade and precision strikes.

Beijing staged a large scale of military and coastguard exercises around the island on Tuesday, as “a stern warning and a strong deterrent to the separatist forces of Taiwan independence”.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of China to be reunited, by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as independent. But the US is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is committed to supplying weapons to the self-ruled island.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said on Tuesday night that it detected 13 PLA naval vessels, four coast guard vessels and 71 military aircraft, operating around Taiwan as of Tuesday afternoon.

The drill which started on Tuesday was the second joint exercise in two weeks.