PLA undertakes major military exercise

In a video clip broadcast on China Central Television, a Navy reporter on board the CNS Xuzhou frigate said the ship was making tactical movement to the east of Taiwan. He said the frigate was about five nautical miles (9.2 kilometers) away from a naval ship from Taiwan, which is a 49-year-old decommissioned US vessel now leased to the island.

In the air, dozens of fighter jets, bombers as well as early-warning, reconnaissance and electronic warfare planes formed assault groups, and provided target guidance and simulated fire support to other forces.

On the ground, long-range rocket artillery units simulated several rounds of precision bombardments on multiple targets. Meanwhile, ballistic and cruise missile units completed their first round of mock attacks on high-value targets in Taiwan and then transferred to new positions waiting for orders about the second round, the statement noted.

On Saturday, the command mobilized destroyers, frigates, missile boats, fighter jets, bombers, electronic warfare planes and refueling aircraft, as well as multiple-launch rocket systems and conventional ballistic missile units, to designated zones for combat deployment.

The major task of the operations on Saturday was to test the forces' capability of seizing dominance at sea, in the air and in the information domain, the command said, adding that the units involved had been organized to move toward the island to establish a deterrence.

Video clips uploaded by the command showed some of the PLA's latest hardware, such as the YY-20 refueling tanker and PCH-191 multiple-launch rocket vehicle, being used in the exercises.

Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhuo, a high-ranking researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said the "Joint Sword" exercises feature the use of a wide range of hardware as well as interservice tactical maneuvers.

"Moreover, the drills are based on actual combat scenarios, aiming to check the troops' capability to engage in joint combat operations. They have shown our determination and power to seize and maintain superiority in the air, on the sea and in the information domain. The dominance in these fields is crucial to winning modern war and we are sure about our overwhelming advantages over the 'Taiwan independence' forces," he said.