PSYCHOLOGICAL Coercion
Especially revealing was the transfer by the PLA Eastern Theatre Command of four military activity banners, representing a complete persuasion technique of “advancing”, “deterrence-containment”, “destruction-paralysis” and “lock-control”. The work was mental intimidation through show of force and the idea of invasion.
This strategy serves three goals. Second, it normalises large military activities in disputed waters, slowly reshaping global aspirations.
Zhang Chi of China’s National Defence University confirmed this plan, stating the unknown approach has become “normal process”. For frame indicates Beijing’s purpose to normalise its military actions around Taiwan.
Second, it allows China to gradually improve pressure without triggering crisis-level reactions that particularly named procedures might provoke. Chinese state television explained that the initial activities were deliberately not labelled as part of” Strait Thunder-2025A” to demonstrate the armed forces ‘ ability to adapt to rapidly evolving combat situations.
Third, it supports a independence tale by characterising activities as regular home security procedures.
The contrast to the 1995 to 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis is informative. Those exercises, codenamed” Strait 961″ and involving missile testing near Taiwan’s ships, were expressly identified as extraordinary occasions. The current strategy represents an important evolution – no longer framing military pressure as excellent but as the regular state of affairs.
Especially important was the inclusion of simulated “inspection and record” operations against vessels – blending aspects of sea interdiction with regular military operations in a way that suggests preparation for enforcing geographical claims through defense means.
According to the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, the exercises focused on “identification and confirmation, warning and ejection, and infiltration and incarceration” while testing army capabilities in place control, combined blockade operations and precision strikes on vital targets.