Shi Yi, a spokesman for the Chinese Army’s Eastern Combat Command, said that Chinese forces held military exercises Sunday to test their combat capability in the waters and airspace near Taiwan.
“On January 8, the Eastern Combat Command of the People’s Liberation Army of China organized a joint combat patrol of various branches and formations of the armed forces, as well as practical military exercises in the sea and air around the island of Taiwan,” Xi Yi said in a statement.
The purpose of the exercise is to test the joint combat capabilities of the forces and to resolutely counter the provocative actions of foreign forces and separatist forces calling for Taiwan independence.
The situation around Taiwan escalated sharply after the visit of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in early August 2022.
China, which considers the island one of its provinces, condemned Pelosi’s visit, seeing in this step US support for Taiwanese separatism, and held large-scale military exercises.
Source: News