On May 23rd, the Chinese Communist Party conducted military exercises in and around Taiwan and the surrounding islands, claiming that their army, navy, air force, and rocket forces were engaged in simulated strikes across multiple scenarios. However, there were no instances of live ammunition being fired during the actual exercises. Commentator Jiang Feng remarked that the military drills by the CCP were nothing more than a carefully orchestrated performance, part of an elaborate information war strategy.
The Eastern Theater Command of the CCP reported that from the 23rd to the 24th, they deployed land, naval, air, and rocket forces around Taiwan for the “Joint Sword-2024A” exercise.
A 4-minute 53-second video released by the Eastern Theater Command on the evening of the 23rd did not show any footage of live ammunition being fired during the exercise.
According to the state-run CCTV news, the Air Force of the Eastern Theater Command conducted numerous sorties of fighter jets to carry out systematic patrols around Taiwan and fly around the outlying islands. Multiple types of aircraft were deployed carrying live ammunition with support from the army and rocket forces.
However, CCTV did not mention any live ammunition firing in its news broadcast, nor did they show any footage of such firing.
During a press conference held by the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China on the afternoon of the 23rd, Assistant Minister of the Department of Operations Major General Huang Wenqi stated that shortly after the CCP announced their military exercises on the morning of the 23rd, they conducted live fire training in inland China. However, there was no evidence of such activities in the airspace and waters around Taiwan.
Commentator Jiang Feng analyzed on YouTube on the 24th that the CCP’s exercises did not designate any no-fly zones or restricted airspaces, as there were no live ammunition exercises, missile launches, or integrated air-sea combat. The only provocations observed were CCP warships attempting to enter Taiwan’s waters and aircraft harassing Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
“This is merely a show, a carefully planned information war aimed at intimidating the Taiwanese government and people, while deceiving the mainland Chinese populace,” he said.
Another commentator, Tang Jingyuan, told Epoch Times on the 23rd that the CCP’s military exercises were undoubtedly premeditated, with the primary objectives being to intimidate the new Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing-wen, and apply pressure, influencing her future domestic and foreign policies. “This is the CCP’s consistent approach of using military threats to affect Taiwan’s domestic and foreign policies.”
The second objective is for the CCP to inject a sense of nationalism domestically through the military exercises, serving the needs of its internal propaganda.
The third objective is for the CCP to exploit the military exercises and political turmoil within Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, showcasing a dual offensive both inwardly and outwardly. “By conducting exercises around Taiwan, the CCP is clearly showing solidarity with pro-Beijing individuals and forces within the island, openly supporting and encouraging them. This serves to further incite internal strife in Taiwan, increasing pressure and fostering further division and fragmentation within the island.”