PLA 'completes various tasks' around Taiwan
The People’s Liberation Army has "completed various tasks" around Taiwan but will conduct regular patrols, it said on Wednesday. In a brief statement, the PLA's Eastern Theater Command said its series of joint military operations in the sea and airspace around the island had "successfully completed various tasks and effectively tested the integrated combat capabilities of the troops". "Theatre forces will keep an eye on the changes in the situation in the Taiwan Strait, continue to carry out training and preparation for combat, organise regular combat readiness patrols in the direction of the Taiwan Strait, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity." Video released by CCTV on Wednesday showed fighter jets scrambling and refuelling mid-air, as well as navy ships on what it said were drills around Taiwan. The Eastern Theater Command said the drills were focused on blockades and resupply logistics, "under a complex electromagnetic environment to refine joint containment and control capabilities", according to CCTV. The PLA conducted the exercises in protest of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taipei last week. (Additional reporting by Reuters)