The Chinese regime reported on Monday that it had “successfully” completed its military exercises around Taiwan following the deployment of an aircraft carrier in the vicinity.
The maneuvers, which lasted three days, allowed the Chinese forces to carry out various exercises, test their capabilities, simulate attacks and implement a possible blockade of the island.
“The exercise, carried out between April 8 and 10, has made it possible to exhaustively test the combat capacity of the Army under current conditions,” said the Eastern Command of Operations in a statement collected by the news agency xinhua.
Several fighters with live ammunition and other aircraft participated in the maneuvers, with which the Chinese forces carried out various confrontation drills with the aim of “destroying enemy air forces” and maintaining their “air supremacy.”
Thus, the Chinese regime concluded that the troops are “prepared to fight when necessary” and stressed that “will be able to resolutely crush any attempt at independence by Taiwan”.
The escalation of tensions in the region began with the trip to the island of the now former president of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosiin August of last year, although they have rebounded after the meeting between the Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing Wenand the current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, kevin mccarthy. Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the territory under its sovereignty.
Warships
The Chinese military confirmed on Monday the mobilization of the aircraft carrier “Shandong” for maneuvers, called “Joint Sword”.
The “Shandong” is one of two Chinese aircraft carriers and the only one built entirely in China. It was commissioned in December 2019.
According to statements by the military on Monday, it is the first time that the “Shandong” has participated in tests that include the siege of Taiwan.
China has also deployed destroyers and frigates to Taiwan, and the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said Monday it had detected 12 Chinese ships around the island.
Arsenal includes destroyers 052C and frigates 054A.
The 054A model is designed for anti-aircraft combat and equipped with HQ-16 intermediate-range surface-to-air missiles, capable of hitting targets 50 kilometers away, according to the defense magazine. Naval Technology.
Hours before Tsai and McCarthy’s meeting in California last Wednesday, China deployed the “Shandong” in waters off southeast Taiwan toward the western Pacific.
Planes
Beijing has also deployed dozens of aircraft in the airspace around Taiwan, including J-16 and J-10C fighters.
The J-16designed by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, are capable of carrying short-range combat missiles as well as long-range air-to-air missilesaccording to the state newspaper Global Times.
These fighters have already been used in Chinese raids on Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
According to experts, the J-16s are Beijing’s preferred fighter jets to test the island’s air defense.
This weekend’s maneuvers They also included early warning and surveillance aircraft of the KJ-500 type, which have 360-degree radar coverage.according to Janes, a company specializing in military information.
State media also reported the deployment of Y-8 aircraftcapable of detecting submarines, a model already used for patrolling in the East China Sea.
missiles
The Chinese armed forces also used in the maneuvers YJ-12B missiles that targeted ships in a simulated fire exercise against Taiwan.
There is little information about this model, a land-based version of the YJ-12 supersonic missile that has a range of 460 kilometers and can carry nuclear and conventional warheads, according to the US organization Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance.
The DF-11 and DF-15 short-range conventional ballistic missiles were also used in the exercises.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, both models have been in use for decades, with the most recent, the DF-15, capable of “reaching Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and northern India from mainland China.”
Chinese military “simulated joint precision fire” against Taiwan over the weekend, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
(with information from AFP)
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Source-www.infobae.com