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Mainland China kicks off PLA blockade around Taiwan, 3 days after William Lai speech
- PLA army, navy, air force and rocket forces are spending two days in the Taiwan Strait ‘testing joint combat capabilities’ by blockading the island
- The drills have come hard on the heels of the inauguration of William Lai Ching-te, whose first speech as Taiwanese leader infuriated Beijing
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The People’s Liberation Army has launched a two-day exercise around Taiwan in a practice run for a blockade of the self-ruled island.
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The drills – which include mainland Chinese army, navy, air force and rocket forces – were announced on Thursday by the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, three days after William Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwanese leader.
The drills are taking place to the north, south and east of Taiwan’s main island and in the Taiwan Strait, as well as near its outlying islands.
The exercise is a strong “punishment” for the Taiwanese separatist forces seeking “independence” and a serious “warning” against interference and provocation by external forces, the command said.
Zhang Chi, an associate professor at the National Defence University on the mainland, told state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday morning that the PLA forces are practising the blockade of Taiwan.
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“Once it is besieged and blocked, it can easily lead to economic collapse and become a dead island. This time, the PLA’s exercise focused on practising the new model of blockade,” he said.
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