Taipei, Dec. 29 (CNA) The Presidential Office on Monday condemned China's launch of another military drill around Taiwan, saying such actions are a "unilateral provocation" that destabilizes regional peace and stability.
China should immediately stop the irresponsible and provocative actions, Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said, after the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday announced the start of a new round of joint exercises around Taiwan by the PLA Army, Navy, and Air Force, which it said were approaching "from different directions."
The military exercises are meant to serve as a "stern warning to 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces," PLA Eastern Theater Command Spokesperson Senior Colonel Shi Yi (施毅) said in a statement released Monday.
Code-named Justice Mission 2025, the exercises are a "legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China's sovereignty and national unity," Shi said.
Justice Mission 2025 will be conducted in the Taiwan Strait and in areas north, southwest, southeast, and east of Taiwan, focusing on "sea-air combat readiness patrol, joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, blockade of key ports and areas, as well as all-dimensional deterrence outside the island chain," according to Shi.
"With vessels and aircraft approaching the Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services will engage in joint assaults so as to test their joint operations capabilities," he said.
The PLA Eastern Theater Command also announced that it will conduct live-fire drills in waters and airspace around Taiwan from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, warning vessels and aircraft not to enter the designated drill areas.
According to the coordinates provided by the command, the drills will be staged at five designated zones around Taiwan, including at sea and in the airspace north of Keelung City, east of Taitung County, south of Pingtung County, southeast of Penghu County, and northwest of Taoyuan County.
Taiwan's Presidential Office said that Taiwan's military will be keeping close tabs on the situation.
Earlier this month, Taiwan's intelligence chief Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) had warned that the PLA might launch another large-scale military drill before the end of the year and that Taiwan should be prepared.
The PLA has routinely conducted separate military exercises in November and December each year to assess the combat readiness of China's troops, Tsai, director-general of the National Security Bureau, said in a legislative hearing on Dec. 3.
It is "not unlikely" that the PLA would consider combining some of these routine drills into one large-scale exercise, targeting Taiwan, Tsai said in the hearing.
