China’s military announced it had conducted military drills around the island of Taiwan on January 8, the second time in less than a month.
According to the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, its forces held “joint combat readiness patrols and actual combat drills” in the sea and airspace around Taiwan.
Yesterday’s drills were aimed at testing the military’s joint combat ability and against collusion and provocations from outside forces and those demanding “Taiwan independence.”
The last time China exercised around Taiwan was on December 25 of last year, shortly after US President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2023, which included provisions to increase assistance.
Security for the island. The NDAA allows Washington to provide military assistance worth two billion dollars per year for 2023-2027 to aid and lend to Taiwan to buy US military equipment and services.
Taipei then reported that 43 Beijing planes had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan was not immediately available for comment. China has always considered Taiwan a province awaiting reunification and declared its readiness to use force if necessary. The US recognizes the “One China” policy but is a key provider of military assistance to Taiwan to help the island increase its self-defense capabilities.
In 2022, the Chinese military dispatched 1,727 aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), compared with about 960 infiltrations in 2021 and 380 in 2020.