CN "Shandongham Aircraft Carrier Strike Group Successfully Completes Taiwan Encirclement Airstrike Drill"

High-Level US-China Talks Underway in Malta
China Expresses No Concession on Taiwan Issue

Chinese state media reported that a carrier strike group centered on China's second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, conducted large-scale air assault exercises in the Taiwan Strait area. The Chinese military unusually disclosed that the exercise was an air assault drill aimed at encircling and attacking Taiwan from multiple directions, drawing attention to the background. This move is interpreted as a reaffirmation that China will never concede on the Taiwan issue, especially with a US-China summit expected to be held in November.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to the Chinese state media Global Times on the 17th, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly conducted large-scale air assault exercises targeting Taiwan and its surrounding islands. The Global Times reported, "The Shandong carrier strike group, along with 14 other vessels, completed a five-day Taiwan air assault exercise (blitz exercise) from the 11th to the 15th," adding, "The training mainly focused on encircling Taiwan from multiple directions."

The exercise was conducted as a joint drill between the Shandong carrier strike group and smaller fleets in the East China Sea area. It included more than 40 sorties of fighter jet launches, flight training for carrier-based aircraft, as well as bomb-dropping drills.

Chinese military expert Song Zhongping (宋中平) explained in an interview with the Global Times, "Given the scale of the exercise, it is highly likely that all possible drills that a carrier strike group can conduct?air defense, anti-submarine, anti-ship, and land attack?were performed." He added, "Such training prepares not only for combat against separatist forces seeking Taiwan independence but also for potential invasions by external countries."

Notably, the disclosure of this exercise came amid high-level US-China talks taking place in Malta, attracting further attention. With the possibility of a US-China summit in November, this is interpreted as a strong expression of unwillingness to compromise on the Taiwan issue.

Meanwhile, on the 17th (local time), the US White House released a statement announcing that Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, met with Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister, in Malta starting on the 16th.

The White House stated that both sides had "frank, substantive, and constructive dialogues" based on the conversations between President Biden and President Xi at the November 2022 Bali summit in Indonesia. They discussed major issues in US-China bilateral relations, as well as global and regional security concerns including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and cross-strait issues.

This meeting took place amid expectations that President Biden and President Xi will meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco this coming November, suggesting that discussions related to the summit were likely held.

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