Latest news with #ShiYi
Memri
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Memri
The Chinese People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command Conducted Long-Range Live-Fire Drills In East China Sea
On April 2, 2025, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) aired footage of what it said were long-range live-fire drills in the waters of the East China Sea. Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command, was cited in the footage as saying that the drills "involved precision strikes on simulated targets of key ports and energy facilities and have achieved desired effects." Onscreen text: "The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command said that its units on April 2 conducted long-range live-fire drills in waters of the East China Sea according to training plans of the 'Strait Thunder-2025A' exercise. The drills involve precision strikes on simulated targets of key ports and energy facilities, and have achieved desired effects, said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the theater command."
Daily Tribune
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
China says ends two-day Taiwan drills with simulated strikes
AFP | Taipei China's military yesterday said it had completed two days of exercises that included 'live-fire' drills and simulated strikes on key ports and energy sites aimed at Taiwan, the self-ruled island it claims as its own. The surprise manoeuvres were condemned by Taiwan, while the United States criticised it as 'intimidation tactics'. They came less than a month after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called China a 'foreign hostile force'. Named 'Strait Thun - der-2025A', the drills were in the middle and southern parts of the Taiwan Strait as well as the East China Sea, the military said. By Wednesday evening, a People's Liberation Army spokesman Shi Yi said 'the Eastern Theater Command has completed all designated tasks of the joint exercises carried out from April 1 to 2'. Earlier, he said that Wednesday's exercises were meant to 'test the troops' capabilities' in areas such as 'blockade and control, and precision strikes on key targets'. The military also said it had held 'long-range live-fire drills' and practised hitting 'simulated targets of key ports and energy facilities'. AFP journalists saw fighter jets circling over the island Pingtan, the closest point on the mainland to Taiwan and where there is a military base. China's Shandong aircraft carrier was also carrying out drills testing the ability to 'blockade' Taiwan, the Eastern Theater Command said. Beijing 's foreign ministry warned Wednesday the 'punishment will not stop' until Taiwan's leaders stop pushing for what it says is independence from China. The democratic island of 23 million people is a potential flashpoint between China and the United States, which is Taiwan's most important security partner. The US State Department said Beijing's 'aggressive' military activities and rhetoric towards Taiwan 'only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region's security and the world's prosperity at risk'. Chinese leaders oppose Washington's support for Taiwan and detest Lai, who they call a 'separatist'. 'Abyss of misery' Wednesday's drills in the strait came a day after China sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan, prompting Taipei to dispatch its own air and maritime forces. Taiwan's defence ministry said there was no live-fire near the island on Wednesday. By early afternoon, 36 Chinese aircraft, 21 warships and 10 coast guard boats had been detected around Taiwan. That compares with Tuesday's count of 21 warships, 71 aircraft and four coast guard vessels. China's Eastern Theater Command kept up its propaganda on Wednesday, posting a 'Paralysing Strikes' poster on its Weibo account, showing Chinese forces surrounding Taiwan and firing missiles at the island. 'Pursuing Taiwan independence will only endanger Taiwan and plunge Taiwan compatriots into an abyss of misery,' said Chinese Ministry of Defence spokesman Zhang Xiaogang in a statement Wednesday. Major General Meng Xiangqing, professor at the PLA National Defence University, warned more drills could follow this week's exercises. 'As long as Taiwan independence separatists dare to cross the line, the PLA will definitely act,' Meng told state broadcaster CCTV. 'Robust' deterrence Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years and held multiple large-scale exercises around the island that are often described as rehearsals for a blockade and seizure of the territory. Tensions have escalated since Lai took office in May 2024 and adopted tougher rhetoric than his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen in defending the island's sovereignty. While Taiwan sees itself as sovereign, most nations, including the United States, do not recognise its claim to statehood and instead have formal diplomatic ties with China. Last month, Lai called China a 'foreign hostile force' and proposed 17 measures to combat growing Chinese espionage and infil- tration. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed 'robust, ready and credible deterrence' in the strait during a visit to the region last week. Taipei analyst Wen-Ti Sung said China was using 'stress test after stress test' to gauge the strength of US support for Taiwan and other allies in the region. 'China is creating occasion after occasion for the Trump administration to publicly show how its support... is weaker or more conditional than in years past,' Sung told AFP. Beijing was also trying to paint Lai as 'the provocateur' to get what it wants on Taiwan from Washington, including reduced US support, Eurasia Group's Amanda Hsiao said. The United States is legally bound to provide arms to Taiwan, but Washington has long maintained 'strategic ambiguity' when it comes to whether it would deploy its military to defend the island from a Chinese attack. A senior Taiwanese security official told AFP the drills were also aimed at 'keeping troops out of their barracks to prevent unrest and speculation' following recent personnel purges in China's military
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. reiterates its backing for Taiwan amid live-fire drills by Chinese forces north of the island
April 2 (UPI) -- The United States doubled down on its decades-old support for Taiwan as China flexed its muscles with a second day of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, including live-fire drills, it said were intended to teach the self-governing island a lesson. In a statement issued after Chinese forces launched the surprise drills in the sea and skies around the self-governing island Tuesday, the U.S. State Department accused China of ramping up tensions and jeopardizing regional security with its "aggressive military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan." "In the face of China's intimidation tactic and destabilizing behavior, the United States' enduring commitment to our allies and partner, including Taiwan, continues," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. "The United States supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including through force or coercion." The People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said day two of the joint Navy, Army and Rocket forces maneuvers saw the group conduct simulated "precision strikes" on key targets, including ports and energy infrastructure as part of exercise "Strait Thunder-2025 A," which it said were successful. Senior Col. Shi Yi said the drills also put the joint blockade and control capabilities of the various forces to the test in the Taiwan Strait in waters west and south of the island. However, Shi stressed that the "live-fire strike drills" by ground forces using long-range rocket artillery systems were conducted further north in the East China Sea, within designated fire zones. Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Wednesday's early-morning maneuvers involved 76 aircraft and 19 PLA Navy ships and other Chinese vessels, similar numbers to Tuesday when the Chinese forces massed around Taiwan without prior warning. The ministry, which said drills also took place east of the island in and over the Philippine Sea, said its forces were on high alert in the face of what is said was China's "aggressive, provocative and irresponsible" behavior. The PLA took to social media as the drills got underway Tuesday saying they were "a stern warning and forceful deterrence against 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces," a response fully justified by the legitimate need to protect "China's sovereignty and national unity." Analysts at the Eurasia Group told CNBC China was angered by a speech by Taiwan President William Lai last month in which he accused Beijing of attempting to interfere in Taiwan's democracy and called for a legal and economic effort to fend off its attempts to infiltrate. Beijing was forced to postpone its response due to the China Development Forum last week, a two-day event attended by CEOs of top American and European multinationals, including Apple's Tim Cook and Pascal Soriot of AstraZeneca -- plus the presence in the region of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth making his first swing through the Asia-Pacific since taking over at the Pentagon on Jan. 25. Hegseth further ruffled feathers within the Chinese Communist Party leadership by reiterating the United States' commitment to counter "China's aggression" in the region by re-establishing deterrence and praising Japan as an "indispensable partner in deterring communist Chinese military aggression," including in the Taiwan Strait. Hegseth made the comments while in the Philippines on Friday. Cornell University Military History and Policy Professor David Silbey told CNBC that the exercises were both China intimidating Taiwan and preparation for potentially re-taking it by force, which Beijing has consistently refused to rule out.
Russia Today
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
China showcases military drill near Taiwan (VIDEOS)
The Chinese military has published several videos showcasing a two-day exercise carried out near the self-administered Chinese island of Taiwan earlier this week. Launched by the Eastern Theater Command (ETC) of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday, the exercise, designated 'Strait Thunder', drew resources from multiple branches of the Chinese armed forces. Command spokesman Shi Yi stated that the maneuvers were focused on 'identification and verification, warning and expulsion, and interception and detention' of various targets. He described the drills as designed to prepare for a potential blockade of Taiwan. The PLA deployed the Shandong Aircraft Carrier Task Group for the exercise. The domestically produced flagship, commissioned in 2019, carries two dozen Shenyang J-15 naval fighter jets as its primary armament. These were showcased in a video released on Wednesday. .mediaplayer { min-height: 150px; } .jwplayer .jw-controls .jw-controlbar .jw-icon-cc { display: none; } .media__video_noscript { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0; height: 100%; width: 100%; } .full_transcript_text { display: block; } Source: The Chinese People's Liberation Army social media Another clip from the ETC depicted an early morning alert at military barracks, followed by the deployment of rocket launch systems for a live-fire drill. The video suggested that the weapons could be deployed to directly target Taiwan's coastline in the event of an armed conflict. .mediaplayer { min-height: 150px; } .jwplayer .jw-controls .jw-controlbar .jw-icon-cc { display: none; } .media__video_noscript { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0; height: 100%; width: 100%; } .full_transcript_text { display: block; } Source: The Chinese People's Liberation Army social media Footage released on Tuesday also featured PLA Air Force aircraft participating in the drill. .mediaplayer { min-height: 150px; } .jwplayer .jw-controls .jw-controlbar .jw-icon-cc { display: none; } .media__video_noscript { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0; height: 100%; width: 100%; } .full_transcript_text { display: block; } Source: The Chinese People's Liberation Army social media Taiwan is governed by an administration rooted in nationalist forces that were defeated by the Communists during the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s. While Washington officially acknowledges Beijing's sovereignty over the island, it has provided military support to Taipei. Beijing views such arms supplies as encouraging Taiwanese officials to pursue formal independence from China. ''Taiwan independence' and peace in the Taiwan Strait are incompatible,' Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang emphasized in a statement on Wednesday. 'Pursuing 'Taiwanese independence' will only put Taiwan in a dangerous situation and plunge Taiwan compatriots into dire straits.' READ MORE: US not ready to fight China – Trump's pick for top general Beijing seeks a peaceful reunification but has warned that it is willing to use force to counteract any separatist efforts. The Defense Ministry labeled the government of incumbent President Lai Ching-te as 'crisis makers' and 'troublemakers' in its remarks about the 'Strait Thunder' exercises.
Shafaq News
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
US reaffirms Taiwan support as China extends military drills
Shafaq News/ The United States reaffirmed its commitment to "peace and stability" across the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, opposing any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo "through force or coercion" after China extended large-scale military exercises around Taiwan for a second day. 'Once again, China's aggressive military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region's security and the world's prosperity at risk,' State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. Despite Beijing's 'intimidation tactics and destabilizing behavior,' the US remains committed to its allies and partners, including Taiwan, she added. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command said its army, navy, air force, and rocket forces conducted joint military drills near Taiwan as part of the "Strait Thunder-2025A" exercises, which were not announced in advance. PLA spokesperson Senior Colonel Shi Yi said ground forces carried out 'live-fire long-range strike drills' in the East China Sea, targeting simulated key ports and energy facilities. The exercises 'achieved the intended results,' he added. Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported that 71 Chinese aircraft and 21 navy ships participated in the drills, with PLA Navy vessels led by the aircraft carrier Shandong entering Taiwan's response zone. It condemned the maneuvers as 'irrational provocations' and vowed to defend its sovereignty.
