China says it will normalize military drills east of the median line of the Taiwan Strait

China says it will normalize military drills east of the median line of the Taiwan Strait

2022-08-08

The military says it has gleaned valuable information from China’s most recent drills near Taiwan, which will inform future defense plans. The military also resolutely rejected Chinese claims that there is no median line in the Taiwan Strait. That’s in contrast to Chinese state media, which has said that drills east of the median line will likely be normalized. Taiwan’s military says it is actively training for all contingencies and is ready to respond.

Equipped with AIM-120 and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, F-16V fighter jets join Di Hua frigates off the east coast. The contingent is closely monitoring Chinese PLA vessels conducting drills near Taiwan’s waters. On Tuesday, the Army has scheduled anti-landing exercises at Pingtung County’s Checheng Township.

China has just concluded drills near Taiwan’s waters, and Taiwan’s military is practicing to counter any future contingencies. China is already planning more drills to take place from August 8 to Sept. 8 in the Bohai Sea next to North Korea, and is currently holding drills in the southern part of the Yellow Sea next to South Korea until Aug. 16. China state media says the PLA may normalize drills east of the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

China Central Television news broadcast
As you can see from these six demarcated areas, there is no so-called median line in the Taiwan Strait. Experts say there is a chance that the PLA Navy will normalize exercises east of the so-called median line.

Shen Shih-wei
Ministry of National Defense
The median line has been there for the past half-century, since the 1950s. It’s a tacit line between the two sides of the strait. Although it isn’t recognized by any international laws, it is a fact that the line exists. These six exclusion zones that China announced for these most recent drills all fall to the east of that median line. This shrinking of our space for our own drills, and the impact on international flights, is quite significant.

Asked why it didn’t warn the public when China launched a Dongfeng ballistic missile over Taiwan’s airspace, the military said it had determined there was no need after it understood the missile’s trajectory and prepared intercept measures.

Following the missile launch China took the opportunity to spread propaganda about the exercises. It said it had made 10 breakthroughs including “approaching Taiwan’s coast, overlooking Taiwan’s coastline and mountain range, firing a conventional missile over Taiwan, destroying the fantasy of a median line in the Taiwan Strait, and setting up a shooting range on the east side of Taiwan.” However, in the process of firing the missile, China also gave Taiwan valuable strategic deployment and intelligence information.

Yan Yu-hsien
Ministry of National Defense
These 10 breakthroughs that China describes are very enlightening for our military. The locations and scenarios of China’s exercises will definitely be included in our own future defense exercises.

Chen Yu-lin
Ministry of National Defense
China’s cognitive warfare campaign against us was already evident before these exercises. In terms of the content of that propaganda, it can be divided into three categories: creating hype around China’s plans for a military invasion of Taiwan, attacking the character of the government, and destroying public and military morale.

Taiwan’s military acted professionally and in accordance with international standards in response to China’s most recent drills. The worldwide community now has a clear understanding of China as the aggressor in the Taiwan Strait.