Taiwan’s military is on alert as more than 70 Chinese military aircraft and 21 naval warships carry out exercises around the country. Beijing says the drills are meant to punish what it calls “separatist forces” in a practice blockade exercise. No date has been given for when the maneuvers will end.
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00:00A Taiwanese naval ship defending the country's maritime border as a Chinese aircraft carrier
00:05looms in the distance.
00:07In the early hours of Tuesday, China announced it would conduct large-scale military exercises,
00:12simulating a blockade of Taiwan and practicing how to coordinate an attack on the country.
00:17The drills have been given no name and no end date has been announced.
00:23Taiwan's defense ministry says it has set up a response center to monitor the activity,
00:28which so far includes 71 Chinese military aircraft and 21 naval ships.
00:33China's Shandong carrier is now in the Western Pacific, continuing the exercises.
00:38On March 29, the Ministry of National Defense learned that the Shandong-based Chinese navy
00:45had left the Hainan-Chinese-China border.
00:47We then used joint reconnaissance and surveillance to closely monitor the situation.
00:52The Shandong-based navy is located about 220 miles south-east of us.
00:59Along with the military exercises, China also says it's deployed its Coast Guard to surround
01:04the main island of Taiwan as it performs what it's calling law enforcement drills.
01:09Early Tuesday, Chinese Coast Guard ships were intercepted as they tried to breach restricted
01:13waters near the islands of Jinmen.
01:17Analysts here say it's all an attempt to cut off Taiwan from the rest of the world.
01:21It's an attempt to block off our maritime airspace, and to attack our land and sea.
01:26It's also an attempt to attack our road facilities, and even our so-called multi-power control,
01:33including our electronic rights, internet rights, information rights, and even space rights.
01:40In the past 12 months, China has conducted at least four major exercises, changing how
01:45countries like Taiwan and the U.S. view the posture of China's People's Liberation Army,
01:50or PLA, as what was once a rare sight is now becoming more and more common.
02:09With no end date announced for the latest maneuvers, Taiwan's military is stuck in a tough spot
02:14as it scrambles to defend its borders without knowing Beijing's intention.
02:18Fuhua Hong, Adil Brar, and Jaime Okan for Taiwan Plus.