China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is launching a three-day live-fire military drill in the Taiwan Straits starting from Friday, analysts say the drill will act as a warning against the force of "Taiwan independence."
The drill comes a week after China's military parade in commemoration of the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).
Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Thursday that the troops of Fujian Military Area Command will carry out routine live-fire training off the coast and that the drill is arranged according to the annual plan.
According to the Maritime Safety Administration, the drill will be held in the Taiwan Straits, off the coast of Weitou, Fujian from Friday to Sunday. Artillery fire could reach heights of 8,000 meters and vessels and planes will be prohibited from entering the area.
"China's regular military exercise helps to maintain and protect the peaceful development in the Asia-Pacific region and prevent expansion of 'Taiwan independence' force," Wang Jianmin, a research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), told the Global Times.
Taiwan's defense authorities said on Thursday that it is aware of the drills and that it is part of the annual training of the PLA.
Yang Lixian, another research fellow with the CASS, told the Global Times on Thursday that the drills will act as a warning to the force of "Taiwan independence", which has been rising in the island, particularly with the Taiwan leadership election approaching.
"The mainland does not want to see Taiwan as an enemy and has been trying to improve the relationship with the island. The frequency of military drills in the Taiwan Strait is no longer as often as the past," Yang said.
"However, it is Taiwan that persists to see the mainland as its biggest threat," he said, citing that Taiwan conducted a military drill in May.
Yang added that the drill serves as a warning not only to Taiwan but also other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
"The situation in the Asia-Pacific has been unstable in recent months. Japan has strengthened its self-defense forces and its ambition is a cause for concern," Yang noted.
"China therefore needs to get itself prepared for any possible dangers," he said.
