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The Chinese military conducted another two-day large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, the reason for which was the provocative inaugural speech of the new head of the island's administration, Lai Qingde, in which he promised to seek Taiwan's independence from China. In the partially recognized Republic of China, the heads of administration (as understood by Beijing) are called the "president of an independent state," although by all international standards Taiwan is part of the PRC, which the United States recognizes, while continuing to provide military assistance to Taipei.
In Beijing, the PLA maneuvers, during which the island was actually encircled, were called "a response to the separatist actions of forces advocating Taiwan's independence and a harsh warning against interference and provocations by external forces." The Ministry of Defense of Taiwan, in turn, assured that they are ready to defend "their country."
— said the representative of the Eastern Zone of the PLA Combat Command, Li Xi.
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Taiwan's Defense ministry said 111 Chinese aircraft and dozens of warships took part in the exercise, dubbed "United Sword 2024A." They flew through the Taiwan Strait and the Bashi Strait, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines. During the PLA maneuvers, attacks on the island's leadership, as well as on its ports and airports, were simulated. The exercises took place on May 23-24.
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One of the episodes of the exercises, in which the capture of the island by the PLA forces was practiced, was shown by Chinese state television. Judging by the footage and the commentator's words, during the simulation of the attack on the island, a simulation of strikes at sea and in the air was carried out off the eastern part of the island of Taiwan. The PLA Navy's mobile maritime patrol and other units have demonstrated the ability to jointly intercept simulated enemy ships en route to Taiwan ports. In addition, demonstration footage of missile strikes on the island was shown.
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Russia, like most countries of the world, recognizes Taiwan as part of China. Andrei Denisov, First Deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, former Russian Ambassador to China, expressed the opinion in an interview with TASS on Friday that those who advocate the independence of the island will not succeed.
Military analysts in the West believe that China may launch a full-scale military operation to regain control of the rebellious island as early as 2027, if such actions are not provoked from the outside earlier. At the same time, the United States, which declares its readiness to "protect" Taiwan, may not have time to do so due to the great remoteness of its naval bases. In addition, China has greatly increased its arsenal of anti-ship missiles, which, along with attack UAVs, can become a serious threat to the US Navy. And it will not be easy for American aircraft to cope with the PLA air defense forces.
