Drills pose intensified pressure on Taiwan separatists: expert

The "Joint Sword-2024B" joint military drills by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday sent a direct and strong response to Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's recent Taiwan separatism remarks, which pose three specific provocations, said military expert Zhang Chi.

"The first provocation is against the post-World War II international order. In 1943, China, the United States, and the UK signed the Cairo Declaration, confirmed Taiwan and the Penghu Islands' return to China. In 1945, the same three countries signed the Potsdam Proclamation, with the Soviet Union later joining, reinforcing the commitment to implement the Cairo Declaration. These two declarations form a crucial part of the post-war international order. Therefore, 'Taiwan independence' is a challenge to this order," said Zhang, an associate professor at the National Defense University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

The second provocation is directed against the authority of the United Nations, said Zhang. The UN Resolution 2758, passed in 1971, recognized the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate government representing China, he said.

"The third provocation threatens the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Lai's provocative remarks may appear mild but is deeply deceptive and harmful. It aggressively promotes separatism, inciting hostility and confrontation across the Strait, significantly escalating tensions and laying the groundwork for conflict, thus destructs peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Zhang added.

The expert explained that the drills were divided and carried out in six different areas -- two in the Taiwan Strait, two east of the Taiwan island, and one each to the north and south of the island.

"Drills north of the island directly targeted the key figures advocating 'Taiwan independence', sending a warning to Lai's administration. Exercises to the south the island aimed to strike at the heart of Taiwan independence forces. Those in the eastern air and sea zones were intended to block three critical routes: the lifeline for energy imports, external support line for separatists, and escape lines for those attempting to evade punishment," said the expert.

"Conducting drills in the Taiwan Strait shows our intensifying pressure from all directions to Taiwan separatists. Compared with previous drills, the scope of this drill was broader and the operational range closer, achieving new breakthroughs. Especially, this time our Coast Guard vessels conducted patrols around the island, strengthening maritime control," said Zhang.

Drills pose intensified pressure on Taiwan separatists: expert

More measures will be rolled out to cultivate more unicorn enterprises in China, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Wang Jiangping said at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

Unicorn enterprises, as representatives of the new economy, business forms, and models, have emerged as a driving force behind the advancement of new quality productive forces, Wang said. And the number of unicorn enterprises in China has steadily increased in recent years, with their comprehensive capabilities significantly strengthened, leading to the emergence of numerous super unicorn enterprises, he said.

"Unicorn enterprises in sectors including high-end manufacturing, consumption, retail, high and new technology account for over 78 percent of the total. Among those that newly emerged last year, more than half are from hard and core technology fields of new energy, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors," Wang said.

"In the next step, our ministry will establish a unified national system to cultivate unicorn enterprises with cooperation between the ministry and provinces, supporting unicorn enterprises in technological innovation, encouraging and guiding them to pursue technological breakthroughs aligned with the country's strategic needs and acquire more unique know-hows. Efforts will be made to boost financial support for unicorn enterprises, leveraging industrial and financial cooperation platforms to assist their listing, merging, and reorganization. Forward-looking plans will also be made for future industries, focusing on new areas and arenas such as atomic-class manufacturing, brain-computer interface (BCI), and 6G, to promote the growth and expansion of unicorn enterprises. Efforts will be made to integrate unicorn enterprises into the global innovation network and carry out innovation cooperation," he said.

In response to issues such as insufficient orders reported by certain enterprises, Wang said in the fourth quarter, the ministry will collaborate with relevant departments to introduce another set of measures aimed at boosting consumption and expanding domestic demand, assisting enterprises in expanding their markets and unleashing vitality.

"We will focus on leveraging the impact of investment to carry out technology transformation and upgrades, as well as equipment upgrading. We will organize a series of actions centered around expanding consumption, optimizing the supply and promoting upgrades, to advance application scenarios to foster the growth and expansion of new high-quality productive forces, such as the low-altitude economy and smart manufacturing," Wang said.

China to foster more unicorn enterprises: official