Tensions are high in Taiwan after China almost entirely surrounded the island with military ships and aircraft to stage a major exercise.
After the start of the large-scale maneuvers – explained Hsieh Jih-sheng, lieutenant general of intelligence at the Ministry of Defense in Taipei, in a press conference – 125 Chinese aircraft were detected, a number "by far the highest ever recorded in a single day".
Beijing said the Joint Sword-2024B military exercises around Taiwan – which have sparked concern from the US and the European Union – had provided its forces with an opportunity to test “the integrated operational capabilities of the troops.”
In a statement, the spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, Li Xi, assured that, "always on alert, the Command's troops continue to strengthen combat readiness with tough training in order to thwart separatist attempts at Taiwan independence."
(Online Union)
