Richard Sanders, Staff Writer
The Taiwanese military is on heightened alert and is carefully tracking the air and naval movements of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) after Beijing designated seven airspace areas east of its Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, effective until Wednesday.
This action is viewed as a potential precursor to a third “Joint Sword” military exercise that experts believe the PLA might initiate following President William Lai’s recent visits to three Pacific allies and stops in Hawaii and Guam last week.
Unlike the previous Joint Sword exercises held in May and October, where Beijing provided detailed information about the regions affected, no formal announcements about upcoming military drills have been made yet.
An illustration via Google Maps displays the seven airspace zones that have been reserved by the PLA until tomorrow.
When asked about possible military drills in response to Lai’s trip, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment, with spokeswoman Mao Ning emphasizing the importance of Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity.
While the earlier exercises concentrated on the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense noted that it has observed naval formations in not only the Eastern Theater Command but also the Northern and Southern Theater Commands.
The ministry reported sightings of China Coast Guard vessels entering areas around the Taiwan Strait and the Western Pacific.
A recent photograph released by the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) shows a China Coast Guard ship alongside CGA vessels in waters east of Taiwan.
The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning participated in the second Joint Sword exercise in October, but it remains uncertain if it will take part in a third exercise.
The anticipated drills differ from previous ones in that the seven reserved airspace zones extend from Shanghai in the north to Shantou in the south, with two zones located near Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties.
The defense ministry has begun combat readiness drills at strategic locations across the country and is collaborating with the Coast Guard Administration on appropriate countermeasures.
The CGA reported “unusual activities” from several Chinese coast guard vessels in waters around Taiwan since Friday, noting three ships last week and four yesterday.
Last week, the China Coast Guard ship No. 2901 was seen in waters south of the Taiwan Strait, while vessels No. 1301 and No. 1302 navigated southward along Taiwan’s northeast coast, eventually gathering about 50 to 60 nautical miles (93 km to 111 km) off the northeast coast of Green Island.
Yesterday, vessels 2203, 2302, 2304, and 2307 were observed heading toward Taiwan’s southwest coast, although none entered Taiwan’s restricted waters.
The CGA also deployed seven ships to closely monitor the movements of the Chinese Coast Guard vessels.
