Battle ready, China ends three-day military drills ‘encircling’ Taiwan

Taipei city, April 10

China’s military declared on Monday it is “ready to fight” after completing three days of large-scale combat exercises around Taiwan that simulated sealing off the island , aimed at showing its anger over the US House Speaker’s meeting with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen.

Japan calls for peace

• Japan stressed importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait during a meeting of Japanese and Chinese officials
• Tokyo also urged Beijing to stop its coastguard ships entering Japanese waters
• China’s Shandong carrier conducted drills close to Okinawan islands, said Japan
• China sought co-operation in maritime area with Japan, said a Chinese official

Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Monday that 91 Chinese aircraft and 12 Chinese ships were spotted around the island. The “combat readiness patrols” named Joint Sword were meant as a warning to the self-governing Taiwan, which China claims as its own, China’s military said earlier.

“The theatre’s troops are ready to fight at all times and can fight at any time to resolutely smash any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ and foreign interference attempts,” it said on Monday. The exercises were similar to ones conducted by China last August, when it launched missile strikes on targets in the seas around Taiwan in retaliation for Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, but have been smaller and less disruptive.

The live-fire exercises disrupted flights and shipping in one of the busiest shipping lanes for global trade. This time, shipping and maritime traffic have largely continued as normal, as per reports. — AP