BEIJING:  , China’s military on Tuesday ( Apr 1 ) said it had sent its army, navy, air and rocket force to surround Taiwan, in drills it said were aimed at practising a blockade of the island.
Beijing’s government said the tasks were aimed at sending a” stern caution and violent punishment” to alleged hardliners in Taiwan.
The drills “focus on sea-air combat-readiness patrols, combined arrest of complete superiority, assault on sea and earth targets, and embargo on important areas and water lanes”, said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson of the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command.
China’s military forces” shut in on the Taiwan Island from various directions”, he said, describing the proceed as” a reasonable and necessary actions to prevent China’s sovereignty and regional unity”.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and has increased the implementation of fighter planes and marine arteries around the area in recent years to hit its state of independence, which Taipei rejects.