《TAIPEI TIMES》China conducting ‘area denial’ drills

Defense Minister Gu Lixiong spoke to reporters outside the Legislative Yuan yesterday. Photo: CNA

Taiwan Monitor: Defense Minister Gu Lixiong said the exercise was aimed at undermining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

By Ben Blanchard/Reuters, Taipei

China is conducting "area denial" exercises in the Western Pacific involving one of its aircraft carriers and other naval formations, Defense Minister Gu Lixiong confirmed yesterday, following reports of increased Chinese activity.

Last week, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu posted on his social media account details of the deployment of more than 100 Chinese navy and coast guard vessels near Taiwan, the South China Sea and the Pacific.

The Ministry of National Defense also reported last week that China's air force fleet has increased significantly around Taiwan, although China has not officially announced any exercises.

"China has indeed conducted area denial exercises with the Liaoning [Liaoning] aircraft carrier group and other naval training groups in the Western Pacific," Gu Lixiong told reporters at the Legislative Yuan.

Anti-access/area denial, or A2AD, refers to preventing outside forces from intervening in a conflict. In the context of Taiwan, it means preventing U.S. or other allied forces from coming to the aid of Taipei in the event of an attack by Beijing.

China's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China's Ministry of National Defense said last month that the Liaoning aircraft carrier group's training in the Western Pacific was an annual routine exercise to test its ocean combat capabilities and was not targeted at any specific country.

China's drills take place ahead of next week's APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, where US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping again, as well as local elections in Taiwan at the end of this month.

Gu Lixiong said that the military is paying close attention to China's movements.

"We believe that this type of military deterrence is intended to undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," he added. "We will use joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and exchange intelligence with our allies to continuously monitor these activities and respond appropriately."

Asked whether China's penetration of Taiwan was expanding into the technology sector - especially in light of the recent incident involving Huida CEO Jen-Hsun Huang - and whether it posed a risk of leakage of defense research data, Gu Lixiong said that the Ministry of National Defense has protocols in place to protect sensitive information.

According to the National Secrets Protection Act and the Government Information Disclosure Act, the Ministry of National Defense can legally retain confidential defense research data if requested by members of the Legislative Yuan, Gu Lixiong said.

The Defense Department is also stepping up counter-infiltration efforts with security clearances for all military personnel, he added.

Additional reporting: Lin Xinhan

News source: Taipei Times