Latest news with #EasternTheatreCommandofChina
The Sun
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
China military says it monitored US warship in Taiwan Strait
BEIJING: China's military said on Thursday that it had dispatched naval and air forces to monitor and warn a U.S. guided missile destroyer that sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait. The U.S. Navy, occasionally accompanied by ships from allied countries, transits the strait about once a month. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, says the strategic waterway belongs to it. China held its latest round of war games around Taiwan earlier this month, drawing condemnation from Taipei and concern from the United States and its allies. The Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army named the ship as the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence, and said it passed through the strait on Wednesday in an act of 'public hyping'. 'Relevant remarks by the United States have inverted right and wrong, distorted legal principles, confused the public and misled international perception,' the command said in a statement, without specifying which comments it was referring to. 'We are telling the United States to stop their distortions and hyping and to work together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.' The command also published a short video on its social media account of a Chinese navy sailor observing the U.S. warship with a pair of binoculars from a distance. It did not give an exact location for the encounter. The U.S. Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its last publicly announced sailing through the strait was in February. (Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Additional reporting and writing by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Aidan Lewis)
CNA
24-04-2025
- Politics
- CNA
China military says it monitored US warship in Taiwan Strait
BEIJING: China's military said on Thursday (Apr 24) that it had dispatched naval and air forces to monitor and warn a United States guided missile destroyer that sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait. The US Navy, occasionally accompanied by ships from allied countries, transits the strait about once a month. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, says the strategic waterway belongs to it. China held its latest round of war games around Taiwan earlier this month, drawing condemnation from Taipei and concern from the US and its allies. The Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army named the ship as the guided-missile destroyer USS William P Lawrence, and said it passed through the strait on Wednesday in an act of "public hyping". "Relevant remarks by the United States have inverted right and wrong, distorted legal principles, confused the public and misled international perception," the command said in a statement, without specifying which comments it was referring to. "We are telling the United States to stop their distortions and hyping and to work together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
Al Arabiya
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
China military says it monitored US warship in Taiwan Strait
China's military said on Thursday that it had dispatched naval and air forces to monitor and warn a US guided missile destroyer that sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait. The US Navy, occasionally accompanied by ships from allied countries, transits the strait about once a month. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, says the strategic waterway belongs to it. China held its latest round of war games around Taiwan earlier this month, drawing condemnation from Taipei and concern from the United States and its allies. The Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army named the ship as the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence, and said it passed through the strait on Wednesday in an act of 'public hyping'. 'Relevant remarks by the United States have inverted right and wrong, distorted legal principles, confused the public and misled international perception,' the command said in a statement, without specifying which comments it was referring to. 'We are telling the United States to stop their distortions and hyping and to work together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.' The US Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its last publicly announced sailing through the strait was in February.
Straits Times
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
China military says it monitored US warship in Taiwan Strait
China military says it monitored US warship in Taiwan Strait BEIJING - China's military said on Thursday that it had dispatched naval and air forces to monitor and warn a U.S. guided missile destroyer that sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait. The U.S. Navy, occasionally accompanied by ships from allied countries, transits the strait about once a month. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, says the strategic waterway belongs to it. China held its latest round of war games around Taiwan earlier this month, drawing condemnation from Taipei and concern from the United States and its allies. The Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army named the ship as the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence, and said it passed through the strait on Wednesday in an act of "public hyping". "Relevant remarks by the United States have inverted right and wrong, distorted legal principles, confused the public and misled international perception," the command said in a statement, without specifying which comments it was referring to. "We are telling the United States to stop their distortions and hyping and to work together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait." The U.S. Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its last publicly announced sailing through the strait was in February. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Express Tribune
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
China stages military drills near Taiwan,labels president Lai a 'parasite'
Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong is seen in this screenshot taken from a video released by the Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army on April 1. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article China staged military drills off Taiwan's north, south and east coasts on Tuesday as a 'stern warning' against separatism and called Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a 'parasite' as Taiwan sent warships to respond to China's navy approaching its shores. The exercises, which China has not formally named unlike the war games last year, are happening after a rise in Chinese rhetoric against Lai and follow on the heels of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's Asia visit, during which he repeatedly criticised Beijing. China's military deployed ships, aircraft and artillery to practise blockading the island, strikes on ground and maritime targets, and air interception to 'test forces' coordination in combat', Beijing's Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement. Last May, three days after Lai's inauguration, Chinese forces staged war games to simulate seizing full control of areas west of the so-called first island chain and conducted live-fire missile exercises. China considers democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and calls Lai a 'separatist'. In a video accompanying its announcement, the Eastern Theatre Command called him a 'parasite' in English and depicted him as a green bug held by chopsticks over a burning Taiwan. Taiwan's government condemned the drills, with the presidential office saying China was 'widely recognised by the international community as a troublemaker' and that the government has the confidence and ability to defend itself. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future. Two senior Taiwan officials told Reuters that more than 10 Chinese military ships had approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical miles (44 kilometres) contiguous zone and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond. Taiwan's defence ministry said it had not detected any live fire by the Chinese military, but that at least 71 Chinese military aircraft and 13 navy ships were involved. It added it did not know when the drills would end. Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said Taiwan's armed forces had elevated their readiness level to ensure that China does not 'turn drills into combat' and 'launch a sudden attack on us'. China's foreign ministry said the drills 'are legitimate and necessary actions to defend national sovereignty and safeguard national unity'. 'China's reunification is an unstoppable trend — it will happen, and it must happen' Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson, said at a regular news conference today. Taiwan's stock market brushed off the rise in tensions, with the benchmark index closing up 2.8 per cent today. Taiwan dispatches warships Taiwan's Defence Ministry said that China's Shandong aircraft carrier group had entered the island's response area on Monday, adding that it had dispatched military aircraft and ships and activated land-based missile systems in response. The drills took place after Hegseth left the region following visits to Japan and the Philippines, where he criticised China and said Japan was 'indispensable' for tackling Chinese aggression. A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters, citing internal assessments, that Beijing needed to avoid any 'perceived confrontation' with Washington prior to the US-China trade talks, and thus Taiwan has become a pretext. 'Taiwan is their best excuse. That's why they chose to launch such military drills as soon as the US defence secretary left Asia,' the official said. The de facto US embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan, said the US would continue to support the island. 'Once again, China has shown that it is not a responsible actor and has no problem putting the region's security and prosperity at risk,' a spokesperson said in a statement. 'Closing in' China's military released a series of propaganda videos in quick succession after the drill announcement, depicting Chinese warships and fighter jets encircling Taiwan, Taipei being aimed at from above and a barrage of missiles firing into the sky before exploding on their targets. A video of a poster accompanying the drills titled 'Closing In' and showing Chinese forces surrounding the island, was released on the Eastern Theatre Command's Weibo. This was followed by a video titled 'Shell', depicting President Lai as a green cartoon bug spawning parasites across the island, on the Eastern Theatre Command's WeChat page. 'Parasite poisoning Taiwan island. Parasite hollowing island out. Parasite courting ultimate destruction,' the animation said. Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said such rhetoric was not conducive to peace and 'shows their provocative character'. third video, 'Subdue Demons and Vanquish Evils', featured Sun Wukong, the magical monkey king from the Ming Dynasty epic 'Journey to the West' as he is depicted in the 'Black Myth: Wukong' hit video game. It opens with the video's title flashing across the screen and the Chinese mythical warrior riding on clouds before cutting to footage of Chinese fighter jets. A fourth poster, released later in the day and titled 'Enveloping Advance', had the Chinese characters of its title covering the island. Taiwan's Koo told reporters the People's Liberation Army (PLA) should focus first on resolving its issues with corruption instead of destroying peace and stability in the region. China's military has undergone a sweeping anti-corruption purge over the past few years, which saw former Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu ousted in October 2024. China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Koo's remarks. The Global Times, which is owned by the People's Daily newspaper of the governing Chinese Communist Party, said the drill had not been given a code name to show that Chinese military forces surrounding the island 'has become a normal practice', citing Zhang Chi of National Defence University. 'Through a series of exercises held in the Taiwan Strait in recent years, the PLA has strongly enhanced its ability to prepare for war and fight battles,' the article on the paper's Weixin social media page added. Xi says China and India should strengthen ties in 'Dragon-Elephant tango' Separately, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Indian President Droupadi Murmu the two countries should work more closely together, saying their relationship should take the form of a 'Dragon-Elephant tango' — a dance between their emblematic animals. The Chinese and Indian presidents exchanged congratulatory messages on Tuesday, the 75th anniversary of the start of their diplomatic ties, as tensions ease after a 2020 clash between their troops along their shared border in the Himalayas. Xi said the neighbours should find ways to coexist peacefully and that he was ready to deepen communication and coordination in major international affairs, and jointly safeguard peace in border areas.
