China Likely to End Taiwan Blockade Drills... Military Tensions Persist

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] China's military exercises encircling Taiwan, conducted in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, are expected to conclude on the 7th. However, China is anticipated to continue its military pressure on Taiwan.

China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported that the People's Liberation Army would conduct important military drills and live-fire exercises from noon on the 4th (1 p.m. Korean time) until noon on the 7th in six sea and air zones set up to encircle Taiwan. Taiwan stated that China notified it of an additional training zone and an extension of the exercise period until the 8th, but this has not been confirmed by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense or state media.

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese military, responsible for Taiwan, stated on its official WeChat account on the 7th that "according to plan, joint live-fire exercises continued in the sea and airspace around Taiwan on the 7th," adding that "the focus was on inspecting joint firepower ground strikes and long-range airstrike capabilities."

On the first day of the exercises, the 4th, the Chinese military launched a total of 11 Dongfeng (DF) series ballistic missiles around northern, southern, and eastern Taiwan, and fired long-range artillery into the Taiwan Strait, conducting an unprecedented show of force targeting both the U.S. and Taiwan simultaneously. Various fighter jets and warships crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait repeatedly. Between the 4th and 6th, a total of 104 military aircraft crossed the median line, effectively nullifying the unofficial boundary between China and Taiwan.

In response, the Taiwanese military immediately scrambled fighter jets, issued warning broadcasts, and activated air defense missile systems to track aircraft, maintaining a high-tension standoff in the Taiwan Strait. The Eastern Theater Command also released photos indicating that its warships approached close enough to see Taiwan's coastline and mountain ranges, engaging in psychological warfare.

In turn, the Taiwanese military released photos on the 7th showing the Hsiung Feng-2 anti-ship missiles, capable of striking strategic Chinese targets such as the Three Gorges Dam, on alert, as well as videos closely monitoring the Chinese destroyer Maanshan navigating nearby waters. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense characterized China's encircling military exercises as simulated attacks on Taiwan.

Even after China's blockade exercises conclude, tensions in the Taiwan Strait are expected to persist. China recently announced live-fire drills in various coastal waters. The Dalian Maritime Safety Administration prohibited vessel entry from midnight on the 8th until midnight the following month for live-fire exercises in the waters off Dalian.

The Lianyungang Maritime Safety Administration also announced live-fire exercises from the 6th to the 15th daily between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. in parts of the southern Yellow Sea (West Sea). However, according to the GPS information of the training zones released by the Lianyungang Maritime Safety Administration, the area is located off the coast near Lianyungang City.

The Taiwanese Army announced a large-scale artillery exercise from the 9th to the 11th near Pingtung County in southern Taiwan, deploying 78 units of 155mm howitzers and 6 units of 120mm mortars. This timing coincides with the conclusion of China's military drills from the 4th to the 7th, sending a message that Taiwan will not be intimidated by China's military pressure while avoiding further escalation of tensions.

China's damage to the "guardrails" designed to prevent accidental military clashes with the U.S. is expected to be a significant variable in the military tensions among China, Taiwan, and the U.S. China announced it will not schedule phone calls between theater commanders of the U.S. and China, and has canceled working-level talks at the Ministry of National Defense and maritime military security consultations, effectively severing military dialogue and cooperation channels.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.