China launches joint army, naval, rocket force drills around Taiwan after Hegseth’s promise
China’s military, on Tuesday, said it has kicked off joint exercises involving its army, navy, air force and rocket force around Taiwan as a stern warning.
The drills mainly focus on sea-air combat-readiness patrols, assault on maritime and ground targets, joint seizure of comprehensive superiority and blockade on key areas and sea lanes to test joint operations capabilities of China’s troops.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said this in a statement on social media.
It is a stern warning and forceful deterrence against ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, Joseph Wu, condemned the drills.
In a post on X, Wu said: “It came without justification, violates international laws and is totally unacceptable. Democracies need to condemn China for being a troublemaker.”
This is coming a few days after United States defense chief Pete Hegseth promised to counter “China’s aggression” on his first visit to Asia.
China is the second largest spender on the military behind the United States and has the world’s largest navy.
