Ministry on guard for PLA exercises

UNDIRECTED? Beijing said that an aircraft carrier-led fleet began ‘routine drills’ in the western Pacific on Wednesday, adding that it was ‘not directed at any country or target’

The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that it was closely monitoring the possibility of large-scale Chinese military exercises near Taiwan as the peak season for Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) drills approaches.

At a news conference, defense officials were asked whether a large-scale exercise encircling Taiwan could take place as the PLA’s November-to-December peak season for drills approaches.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence Pan Chun-kuang (潘俊光) said the ministry was using joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to monitor the PLA’s latest activities.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence Pan Chun-kuang speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

China has been using propaganda about its military activities to step up its cognitive warfare efforts, Pan said.

“We see this as behavior that disrupts regional stability,” he said, adding that the ministry would remain on high alert and respond appropriately to such behavior.

Asked about a naval fleet led by China’s Liaoning (遼寧) aircraft carrier, which began what Beijing described as “routine drills” in the western Pacific on Wednesday, Pan said that the activities had drawn concern from countries in the region and put them on alert.

The PLA Navy has said the drills are “part of an annual routine training plan aimed at testing and improving troops’ combat readiness and enhancing their ability to fulfill missions.”

They are “not directed at any country or target,” it added.

The ministry will monitor the situation closely and take precautions, Pan said.

China staged a large-scale exercise encircling Taiwan in August 2022, shortly after then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.

Similar exercises have since become a regular occurrence, with at least one held annually from 2023 to last year.

The PLA has not staged one so far this year.

In its daily PLA update, the ministry reported 15 Chinese military aircraft, 10 naval ships and seven official ships detected around Taiwan between 6pm on Wednesday and 6am yesterday.

Thirteen Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said.

The armed forces “monitored the situation and deployed [patrol] aircraft, navy vessels and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities,” it said.

In other news, the military is to open its Chenggong Ling (成功嶺) base in Taichung’s Wurih District (烏日) to the public on Saturday next week, featuring aerial demonstrations, interactive exercises and public displays of 24 types of military hardware, including M1A2T tanks and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.

Attendees could test their skills at an air gun shooting range, ride in an eight-wheeled armored vehicle and simulate firing a 155mm howitzer, the ministry said.

Attendees must bring a national identity card or other photo identification, while foreign spouses and caregivers without a national ID must be accompanied by their Taiwanese spouse or the person they are caring for, and present valid legal documents.