Following the chaos of how the Biden’s Administration’s withdraw US troops stationed in Afghanistan, having poured in close to $1 trillion dollars in the last 20 years to fight a rag tag army of terrorists, the People’s Republic of China, intent on ending America’s global hegemony, conducted a large-scale exercise in the vicinity of Taiwan.
According to military analysts, the message being sent by Beijing to Taiwan is that, the United States may not be in a position of much help if it decides to invade the island nation. US commitments towards Taiwan is significant more than towards Afghanistan. In fact, Washington is legally bound to protect Taiwan. Clearly Beijing’s message has psychological components as well.
China deployed multi-role fighters, ships, sea patrols, and bombers in the exercises.
A report from the Taiwanese government states that 11 war machines, including six multi-role J-16s, the KJ-500 early warning and anti-submarine Y-8 aircraft, as well as two H-6K bombers took part in the military exercises.
In a short statement, China also informed on the use of ships and airborne systems of the ZOP.
According to Taiwan, the Chinese exercises were aimed at strengthening air domination and it is very likely that they involved electronic warfare. Beijing may also have collected electromagnetic emissions emitted by Japanese and American planes, including F-35s, to fight them more effectively in the event Japan and the United States intervene in a potential invasion.
The Chinese military exercises were conducted simultaneously on the southeast and southwest areas of Taiwan, with Chinese planes flying between Taiwan and the Taiwanese Pratas Islands we as well as in the Bashi Channel south of Taiwan.
In a statement China said, the military exercises were a reaction to “provocations” by other countries and interference in its internal affairs, as well as provocations by Taiwanese separatists.
China considers Taiwan as a wayward province and has not withdrawn the use of force to get it under its control.