DEFENSE/Taiwan watching for large-scale PLA drills as peak season nears

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Thursday that it was closely monitoring the possibility of large-scale Chinese military exercises near Taiwan as the traditional peak season for People's Liberation Army (PLA) drills approaches.

At a news conference Thursday, defense officials were asked whether a large-scale exercise encircling Taiwan could take place as the PLA's November-December peak season approaches.

Pan Chun-kuang (潘俊光), an official from the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence, said the MND was using joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to monitor the PLA's latest activities.

The ministry had noticed that China had recently been using propaganda about its military activities to step up its cognitive warfare efforts, Pan said.

"We see this as behavior that disrupts regional stability," he said, adding that the ministry would remain on high alert and respond appropriately to such behavior.

Asked about a naval fleet led by China's Liaoning aircraft carrier, which began what Beijing described as "routine drills" in the western Pacific on Wednesday, Pan said the activities had drawn concern from countries in the region and put them on alert.

The PLA Navy has said the drills were "not directed at any country or target."

The MND would monitor the situation closely and take precautions, Pan said.

China staged a large-scale exercise encircling Taiwan in August 2022, shortly after then-United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.

Similar exercises have since become a regular occurrence, with at least one held each year from 2023 to 2025.

The PLA has not staged one this year.