China boasts Taiwan war games 'won't stop until reunification' and it has a 'noose' around the island | The Sun
CHINA has said its war games around Taiwan won't stop until it has conquered the island and reunified it with the mainland.
Beijing announced its warships are set to rehearse sinking US submarines in their latest military drills as it boasted it had a "noose" around Taiwan.
The drills were announced in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial trip to Taiwan last week.
Despite being scheduled to wrap up yesterday, Beijing has announced their showof strength isn't over yet.
The country's fiercely nationalistic official paper Global Times is now reporting China wants to make the drills permanent.
"As long as the Taiwan question is not solved, drills like these will not stop," military expert and TV commentator Song Zhongping, told the paper.
Meanwhile, Meng Xiangqing, a professor at the Chinese People's Liberation Army's National Defence University boasted Taiwan was now cut off.
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The six areas where the war games are taking place were chosen to show China could cut off Taiwan's ports, attack military installations, and prevent foreign forces coming to Taiwan's aid.
"Connect the six areas in a line, like a noose, with the knot of the noose right in the southwest direction," he said in an interview with state-run broadcaster CCTV.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has always vowed to "reunify" with Taiwan by any means necessary, sparking fears the relentless games are preparation for war.
Oriana Skylar Mastro, a fellow at Stanford University, told The Sun Online that Chinese officials she's spoken to say they will use the current crisis to ramp up the pressure on Taiwan and make life difficult for America.
“I met with some Chinese government officials and they communicated to me that the status quo has been broken,” said theaward-winning academic who also has a position atthe American Enterprise Institute.
“Now they have an opportunity to build a new status quo and that’s going to be one more beneficial for them in which they’re present and operating because this exacerbates the US problem of early warning.
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“There will be large scale mobilisations and exercises that are basically combat rehearsals.
“If it becomes routine for China to be engaging in mass mobilisations then it’s harder for the United States to know if it’s a blockade of Taiwan or just and exercise.”
Pelosi's visit only exacerbated the already fragile relationship between Washington and Beijing, with President Xi Jinping warranting the drills in response.
China has now said its forces will carry out live-fire anti-submarine and sea raid drills from Monday, without giving a precise end date.
The country had already bragged about its ability to sink US aircraft carriers using hypersonic missiles.
The "provocative" move has fuelled WW3 fears as security chiefs raised concerns about their haunting drills.
Taiwan's foreign ministry has hit out at China's bullying tactics, urging Beijing to stop its military actions and "pull back from the edge".
They said in a statement: "In the face of military intimidation created by China, Taiwan will not be afraid nor back down, and will more firmly defend its sovereignty, national security, and free and democratic way of life."
As part of the ocean war games, dozens of aircraft and ships have breached the "meridian line" which separates China from the disputed territory.
The drills – referred to as a rehearsal for an invasion by Chinese media – were branded "irresponsible" by Joe Biden's national security council coordinator John Kirby.
The nation released chilling footage of field hospital rehearsals on Friday, suggesting they were preparing for mass casualties.
The military said: "'The eastern theatre of the Chinese People's Liberation Army continued to carry out practical joint exercises and training in the sea and airspace around Taiwan island."
Beijing was also due to carry out live-fire drills in the South China Sea and the Yellow Sea on Monday.
Taiwan have already eased flight restrictions near the six earlier Chinese exercise areas surrounding the island.
The island reportedly called soldiers back from leave amid concerns the tensions could escalate into an international crisis.
Its military announced it would hold anti-landing exercises in the south on Tuesday and Thursday to "practice counter moves".
They said they had "calmly" handled the previous drills that were amped up ahead of Pelosi's arrival in the region.
It comes after Chinese nuke bombers flew near Taiwan during terrifying military drills last week.
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But while Beijing may be preparing for a lightning war to storm across the Taiwan Strait and capture the island, experts have said the war could be anything but quick.
With tough beaches, rocky terrain, well-drilled defenders, and unforgiving seas, China could face the same brutal grinding warfare that Russia is facing in Ukraine.
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