China's military launches live-fire exercise in escalation of ongoing surprise drills near Taiwan
The Chinese military practiced live-fire strikes in the East China Sea in an escalation of ongoing surprise drills near Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said in a statement Wednesday.
China's armed forces launched exercises, dubbed 'Strait Thunder-2025A,' in the middle and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, focusing on testing the troops' capabilities of 'joint blockade and control' and 'precision strikes on key targets,' the Eastern Theater Command's spokesperson Senior Colonel Shi Yi said.
As part of the drills, which were not announced ahead of time, the ground army of the Eastern Theater Command conducted 'live-fire long-range strike drills in designated areas of the East China Sea,' according to the statement.
'The drills involved precision strikes on simulated targets such as key ports and energy facilities and achieved the intended results,' Shi added.
Wednesday's drills came after the PLA conducted joint exercises involving its army, navy, air force and rocket force around Taiwan 'from multiple directions' on Tuesday, days after US defense chief Pete Hegseth vowed to counter 'China's aggression' on his first visit to Asia.
Eastern Theater Command said the drills were a 'stern warning and forceful deterrence against 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces,' calling them 'legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China's sovereignty and national unity.'
For Taiwan, a democracy of some 23 million people that sits just 80 miles from China at its nearest point, the drills are the latest reminder of the threat that comes from its giant Communist Party-run neighbor, which claims the island as its own and has vowed to seize it by force if necessary.
Taiwan has denounced the drills as an 'irrational provocation' and accused China of being a 'troublemaker.'
The United States, Taiwan's biggest international backer, condemned what it called 'China's irresponsible threats and military pressure operations near Taiwan.'
'China's escalating military intimidation tactics only serve to exacerbate tensions and undermine cross-Strait peace and stability,' the State Department said in a statement.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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