Chinese military conducts joint land assault exercises near Taiwan

The Chinese military has conducted a joint land assault exercise featuring multiple military branches near Taiwan, a move seen as a warning to the foreign countries against their intervention in China's internal affairs, official media reported on Sunday.

The 74th Group Army of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently held the joint land assault exercise off the eastern coast of South China's Guangdong Province, with the Navy and Air Force joining the simulated attack, the state-run Global Times reported, citing a report in the CCTV.

"PLA conducted the joint land assault exercises near Taiwan," the report said.

China asserts that estranged province of Taiwan is part of the mainland under one China policy. Beijing hardened its stance over Taiwan ever since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, a firm advocate of Taiwan's independence from China, came to power in 2016.

China in recent weeks has been sharply criticising the US after the Washington approved a plan to sell USD 2.22 billion worth of tanks and missiles to the island in July.

The US also went on to approve an USD 8 billion sale of fighter jets to Taiwan in August.

According to Chinese military experts, the military is ready to unleash its full potential against Taiwan secessionist forces.

The latest PLA drills showed that the Chinese military is ready to unleash its full potential against Taiwan secessionist forces and intends to send a stern warning to countries that intervene in China's internal affairs, experts said.

"We upgraded our system so that battlefield data can be shared in real time. Intelligence gathered by the Navy, Air Force and ourselves on the battlefield can be reported to the command centre, and shared between basic units," the paper quoted Liu Shuyi, staff officer of the combined arms brigade, as saying to CCTV.

In the latest land assault exercises led by the Navy's amphibious assault ships, with additional air support, a combined arms brigade of the army launched a joint assault on a coastal area.

Navy minesweepers and obstacle breaking boats first cleared a path through the sea, and amphibious assault vehicles of the army stormed to the coast from multiple directions.

As the Army closed in on the coast, warplanes, artilleries and tanks launched simulated joint strikes from multiple points and successfully seized the position, the report said.

While the defending team attempted counterattacks, the Army called in air strikes from a communications command platform, guiding fighter aircraft and long-range rockets that eliminated the defender's threat, the report said.

Chinese military used to conduct exercises within single military branches during which the Army, Navy and Air Force were trained on their own, the expert said, noting that joint training exercises could help the PLA make the best of its full potential, it said.