Multiple forces of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) started joint drills code-named "Justice Mission 2025" around the Taiwan Island on Monday, which are legitimate and lawful acts out of necessity, said Fu Zhengnan, a military expert from the PLA Academy of Military Science.
Talking about the timing and legitimacy of the drills, Fu noted in an interview with Yuyuantantian, a media outlet affiliated with the China Media Group (CMG) that the record scale and new content of the latest arms sales to Taiwan by the United States are behind the joint drills.
"The collusion between the United States and the Taiwan authorities has shown greater frequency and severity recently, which is primarily demonstrated by escalations in three aspects [of the latest arms sales]. The scale the arms sales has expanded, with the U.S. approving an arms sale plan to Taiwan totaling over 11.1 billion U.S. dollars, the the largest ever in the region. The nature has changed as past U.S. arms sales to Taiwan primarily consisted of defensive weapons, whereas the latest deal focuses on offensive weapons, severely violating the basic spirit of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, particularly the August 17 Communique. The arms sales will also bring a systematic upgrade to Taiwan's military forces, as the equipment purchased this time includes not only offensive weapons but also the so-called Taiwan Tactical Network and Team Awareness Kit, which integrates the Taiwan military's operational system as a extension of the U.S. military's system, thereby heightening the risk of direct and frontal conflict between China and the United States," said Fu.
"Despite repeated warnings from China, the United States and the Taiwan authorities have provoked with collusive moves. The PLA has decisively taken necessary actions, which are a legitimate and lawful responses to the compelling circumstances. Safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity represents the shared will of the 1.4 billion Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan. It is also an unstoppable trend of our times. No matter who supports the Taiwan secessionist forces behind the scenes, what weapons they purchase, or what disguises they use, their attempts are doomed to fail," the expert added.
PLA drills around Taiwan island legitimate, lawful acts out of necessity: expert
