China says any drills around Taiwan ‘decided by us alone’

BEIJING: China´s defence ministry said on Friday that any drills it may hold around Taiwan “are decided by us alone”, as Taipei announced the apparent end of massive military exercises not formally declared by Beijing.

Taiwanese authorities said this week that Beijing was holding its biggest maritime drills in years, deploying dozens of warships and coast guard vessels in an area stretching from near the southern islands of Japan to the South China Sea.

Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy director general of Taiwan´s coast guard, said on Friday that the ships had returned to China, adding that Taipei considered the manoeuvres to be “over”.

Asked about the alleged drills on Friday, Wu Qian, a spokesman for Beijing´s defence ministry, did not confirm whether they had taken place.

But he said that “whether or not we hold exercises, and when we hold them, are decided by us alone, based on our own needs and the circumstances of our struggle”, according to an official social media account of the armed forces.

“Safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, and the common interests of compatriots across the Taiwan Strait are the (military´s) sacred duties,” Wu said.

“No matter whether it holds exercises, the People´s Liberation Army will not be absent or soft-hearted when it comes to striking down (Taiwanese) ´independence´ and pushing for unification,” he said, referring to the Chinese armed forces.