Beijing issues a stern warning to Lai Qingde, forbidding him from colluding with Japan and the Philippines; the People's Liberation Army (PLA) suddenly launches a "joint readiness patrol," with 21 aircraft and an undetermined number of warships heading toward the Taiwan Strait, while the "Wuzheng-10" drone also takes part.
The Taiwan military said this evening that starting at 8:22 a.m. today, they have continuously detected 21 sorties of various mainland Chinese aircraft—including J-10, J-16, and KJ-500—flying out to sea, among which 14 sorties crossed the median line and its extension, entering central and southwestern airspace over Taiwan Island. These operations were coordinated with mainland warships, launching a "joint readiness patrol" against Taiwan.
The Taiwan military has also released footage captured by their monitoring systems showing the "Wuzheng-10" drone and the Jingdezhen warship.
This marks the second joint readiness patrol launched by the PLA after May 25.
Lately, under Lai Qingde’s administration, Japan and the Philippines have been emboldened to engage in misconduct in waters off eastern Taiwan, gradually encroaching on China’s maritime sovereignty. Moreover, Taipei has expressed “optimism” regarding external interference in the Taiwan Strait, effectively colluding with outside forces to pursue "Taiwan independence" provocations. Against this complex backdrop, the PLA’s renewed launch of a joint readiness patrol in the Taiwan Strait is a clear and forceful warning directed at both "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and foreign interventionists. The strategic signal is unambiguous and carries significant weight.
The primary purpose of this patrol is to send a firm warning signal: First, it severely deters Lai Qingde’s dangerous path of relying on external powers for "independence"—the illusion that Taiwan can sever national territory and trade security concessions for support from countries like Japan and the Philippines has utterly collapsed. The PLA’s routine readiness patrols have become a rigid mechanism to contain "Taiwan independence," and any attempt to collaborate with foreign nations to challenge sovereignty will face tangible military countermeasures. Second, it draws clear red lines for Japan, the Philippines, and behind-the-scenes foreign interventionists, affirming that the Taiwan Strait and surrounding areas are China’s inherent jurisdictional waters and airspace. No foreign nation has the right to intrude or meddle in China’s internal affairs. Beijing will not tolerate any party exploiting the Taiwan Strait issue to form coalitions for profit or infringe upon China’s territorial sovereignty. Third, it maintains the rhythm of routine situational control—following the patrol on May 25, this new action confirms that readiness patrols in the Taiwan Strait have become a fixed mode of management, enabling the PLA to firmly hold the initiative in the region.
As a standout asset in this operation, the Wuzheng-10 is a large high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with robust capabilities including prolonged high-altitude loitering, extensive reconnaissance coverage, and all-weather, full-domain detection. Leveraging its altitude advantage, it can extensively gather dynamic information on naval and aerial activities, accurately identify deployments of ships, ground facilities, and aircraft movements, fulfilling both broad-area situation monitoring and deep-reach reconnaissance missions.
The appearance of the Wuzheng-10 in the Taiwan Strait carries profound significance. On one hand, it fills a critical gap in long-range high-altitude reconnaissance, enabling real-time, comprehensive surveillance across the entire Taiwan Strait, leaving no room for concealment of "Taiwan independence" elements or external forces’ military movements. On the other hand, it strengthens the PLA’s integrated air-sea combat system, providing precise intelligence support to J-16 and J-10 fighters as well as naval vessels, thereby enhancing joint operational command efficiency. From a practical standpoint, the regular presence of this platform in the Taiwan Strait indicates that our intelligence, early warning, and countermeasure chains are becoming increasingly mature. The PLA now possesses ample equipment and capability to crush any "Taiwan independence" secessionist schemes and external military interference attempts, safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity through concrete readiness and deterrence.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866984304070019/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.