China simulated missile attacks and carried out fighter and bomber activities on Friday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, as part of two-day drills that Beijing said were launched to punish Taiwan's new president, Lai. Ching-te.
The bombers practiced various attack formations in waters east of Taiwan, simulating offensives in coordination with naval vessels, he added, as China tested its ability to “seize power” and control key areas of Taiwan.
The two days of exercises in the Taiwan Strait and around a group of Taiwan-controlled islands off the Chinese coast, which a Taiwanese official said also included simulated shelling of foreign vessels, began just three days after Lai took office on Monday. Taiwan has condemned Chinese actions.
China considers Taiwan its own territory and denounces Lai as a “separatist”. The country sharply criticized his inauguration speech, in which he called on Beijing to stop its threats and said the two sides of the strait were “not subordinate to each other.”
The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said in a statement that the exercises took place to “test the ability to jointly seize power, launch joint attacks and occupy key areas.”
A Taiwanese security official told Reuters that several Chinese bombers simulated attacks on foreign vessels near the eastern end of the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines, practicing how to take “full control” of areas west of the first island chain.
The first island chain refers to the area stretching from Japan to Taiwan, the Philippines and Borneo, surrounding the coastal seas of China.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said several Chinese Coast Guard boats also carried out “intimidation” exercises off Taiwan's east coast, including simulating inspections of civilian ships.
China's Coast Guard said it carried out “law enforcement exercises” in waters east of Taiwan on Friday, focusing on verification and identification, warning and repulsion training.
An official with the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said it was paying attention to “all activity” in the Indo-Pacific and takes its responsibility to deter aggression in the region “very seriously.”
Taiwan and the US have no official diplomatic relationship, as Washington formally recognizes Beijing, but is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and is the island's most important international ally.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it had detected 49 Chinese military aircraft, 19 Navy ships and seven Coast Guard ships. Of the aircraft, 28 crossed the median line of the strait, which once served as an unofficial barrier, although China says it does not recognize it.
Source: CNN Brasil
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