MND declines to comment on possibility of China military drills near Taiwan

Taipei, Dec. 3 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday declined to comment on whether China could hold military exercises near Taiwan around the time President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) returns from his first overseas trip after taking office, amid reports saying it is likely to do so.

Citing unnamed Taiwan officials, Reuters on Nov. 27 reported that China is likely to stage military drills near Taiwan "around or shortly after Lai's trip which ends on Dec. 6."

Lai's trip to Taiwan's three South Pacific diplomatic allies also includes transit stops in the U.S. state of Hawaii and territory of Guam.

Beijing could use Lai's trip as a "pretext" to demonstrate its power and emphasize that the first island chain is within its "sphere of influence," Reuters reported, citing an anonymous Taiwan security official.

"China could 'repackage' ongoing regular military activities in the South China Sea or the East China Sea, moving them closer to Taiwan and rebranding them "Joint Sword - 2024C," following the previous exercises in May and October, Reuters cited the official as saying.

At an MND news conference on Tuesday, defense officials were asked to comment on the likelihood of China holding military exercises near Taiwan this week.

Hu Chung-hua (胡中華), an intelligence officer at the MND's Office of Deputy Chief of General Staff for Intelligence, said the Armed Forces were closely monitoring People's Liberation Army movements and looking for indications of a possible military exercise.

However, Hu declined to comment on the MND's assessment of the likelihood of China holding drills near Taiwan, saying that making such information public at this time would risk exposing the country's intelligence-gathering channels.

Pressed on whether the MND had observed any unusual PLA movements during Lai's trip so far, Hu repeated that the Armed Forces were keeping close tabs on all PLA actions and had taken precautions based on previous drills conducted by the Chinese military around Taiwan.

Meanwhile, asked whether China's Liaoning aircraft carrier was in waters off Taiwan's east coast, MND spokesperson Sun Li-fang (孫立方) declined to comment, saying only that the Armed Forces were confident and resolute about upholding national security.