China said Tuesday that it has kicked off joint military exercises around Taiwan involving its army, navy, air and rocket forces, stating that the exercises were intended to practice blockading the democratic island.
Senior Col. Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command, said that the joint exercises would practice closing in on Taiwan "from multiple directions."
"These drills mainly focus on sea-air combat-readiness patrols, joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, assault on maritime and ground targets, and blockade on key areas and sea lanes so as to test joint operations capabilities of its troops," Shi said.
Shi called the drills "a stern warning and forceful deterrence against 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces," adding that the exercises are "a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity."
China views self-ruled Taiwan as its “core of core issues” and regards the island as a renegade province that must be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing regularly sends military aircraft and warships near and around the island and has conducted a number of large-scale exercises.