Chinese Communist Party conducts military exercises near Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense activates response mechanism

The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China stated today (1st) that “the PLA Shandong aircraft carrier formation and other warships entered our response zone on March 31. The military dispatched reconnaissance aircraft, ships, and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor and respond appropriately.” They also released videos and photos of monitoring the PLA warships.

According to reports from Chinese official media Xinhua News Agency, spokesman for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, Shi Yi, claimed that starting from April 1, the PLA Eastern Theater Command organized land, sea, and air forces, along with rocket forces, to “approach the Taiwan Island from multiple directions,” focusing on drills such as sea and air alert patrols, seizing overall control, conducting strikes against land and sea targets, and controlling key areas and passages, to test the joint combat capabilities of the theater forces.

The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China issued a press release this morning, pointing out that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been increasing its military activities around Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region, escalating military threats in the Indo-Pacific and even globally, openly challenging the international order, disrupting regional stability, and becoming the biggest “troublemaker” in the international community. In contrast, problems like severe corruption within its military, “more corruption as they crack down,” and “fake combat capabilities of the military” highlight its embarrassing situation of being outwardly strong but inwardly weak.

The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense stated, “Since March 29, we have been monitoring the movements of the PLA Shandong aircraft carrier formation and other warships, which entered our response zone yesterday (March 31). The military has been using joint reconnaissance and surveillance means to closely monitor and control the situation, activating response mechanisms to deal with it accordingly.”

The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense emphasized that in the face of increasingly severe threats, the national military, as the strong safeguard of the country, is on high alert. All officers and soldiers are prepared to uphold the principle of “not escalating conflicts or provoking disputes,” prudently handling disturbances in the gray area, and having the ability, determination, and confidence to defend national sovereignty and the safety of the people.

Additionally, this morning, the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan also reported on the activities of Chinese military vessels in the sea and airspace around the Taiwan Strait. From 6 a.m. on March 31 to 6 a.m. today, 19 Chinese warships were detected, while no Chinese aircraft were spotted, continuing their operations in the vicinity of the Taiwan Strait. The military is closely monitoring and responding to these activities using reconnaissance aircraft, ships, and shore-based missile systems.