PLA drills send clear warning to Taiwan secessionists, external forces: observers

The military exercises around Taiwan by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command send a clear warning to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and external forces attempting to undermine peace in the Taiwan Strait that China takes a zero-tolerance attitude to any secessionist activities, according to observers in Taiwan region.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command's army, navy, air and rocket forces closed in on the Taiwan Island from multiple directions during the drills on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Observers say that the latest PLA drills are highly realistic and targeted, not only imposing military pressure but also sending a direct warning to the DPP against fueling cross-Strait tensions for political gain.

"The mainland's drills from yesterday to today (Tuesday to Wednesday) are primarily aimed at Lai Ching-te and his promotion of secession rhetoric and actions. Looking back from last year's 'Joint Sword-2024A' drills to the current 'Strait Thunder-2025A' exercise, we can see a clear step-by-step progression. Previously, the drills were conducted in more peripheral areas, but now they are gradually moving closer to Taiwan. I believe the purpose of this exercise is to warn secessionists not to act recklessly," said Lin Ming-cheng, a current affairs commentator in Taiwan.

In coordination with the military exercise, the Eastern Theater Command has also released a series of statements through its official channels, while China Coast Guard conducted law enforcement patrols in the waters surrounding Taiwan on the same day.

This underscores the mainland's firm determination and capability to defend China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, observers say.

"During this round of drills, the PLA conducted live-fire exercises involving army, navy, air and rocket forces. This sends a direct message to the U.S., Japan, the Philippines, and other relevant countries that the entire region can be placed under a blockade. I think the PLA's swift response sends a clear signal to the U.S. that it cannot deter China or interfere in Taiwan affairs," said Lai Yueh-chien, another current affairs commentator in Taiwan.

Media outlets in Taiwan have provided extensive coverage of the drills, with many pointing out that they surpassed previous exercises in both scale and precision targeting.

Analysts suggest the drills reflect the PLA's growing readiness to respond swiftly to potential crises in the Taiwan Strait.

Since taking office, Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te has repeatedly pushed secession narratives, including the claim that Taiwan and the Chinese mainland are "not subordinate to each other."

Recently, he brazenly labeled the mainland as a "foreign hostile force" while ramping up military preparations, moves critics say are dragging Taiwan further down a dangerous path toward conflict.

"Lai Ching-te has openly called himself ‘a pragmatic worker for Taiwan secession.’ From claiming that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are 'not subordinate to each other' to labeling the mainland as a 'hostile foreign force,' he is deliberately fueling cross-Strait tensions to consolidate internal support and shift focus away from his governance failures in Taiwan," said Hung Hsiu-chu, former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party.

"He has completely misjudged the situation. With Trump winning the election again and having been in office for just over three months, he is seizing the moment to escalate his push for Taiwan secession, willingly positioning himself as a pawn of the U.S. But such actions are utterly foolish - what benefits do they bring to Taiwan? All they do is to further heighten tensions in the Taiwan Strait," said Hung.

"What's even more horrifying is that if he continues such provocations while refusing to treat cross-Strait relations as an internal matter, he is treading the red line of cross-strait relations, yet thinks he is walking the red carpet. If this continues, will there ever be peace in the Taiwan Strait? He is dragging Taiwan into an abyss of disaster, and the ones who will suffer most are ordinary people in Taiwan. So I think this unwise approach must be curbed by all means necessary," she said.

PLA drills send clear warning to Taiwan secessionists, external forces: observers

PLA drills send clear warning to Taiwan secessionists, external forces: observers

Leaders of the China Search and Rescue Team dispatched to Myanmar following a deadly earthquake recalled details of their difficult rescue operations.

The powerful 7.9-magnitude quake, the strongest recorded in the country in a century, rocked the Sagaing Region of Myanmar on March 28, with the epicenter close to Mandalay, the country's second-largest city.

As of April 2, the China Search and Rescue Team had successfully participated in the rescue of five survivors since arriving in the earthquake-stricken area in Myanmar. Chinese rescue forces as a whole had rescued a total of nine survivors.

Zhao Ming, head of the Chinese national rescue team, said in an interview with China Media Group that the high temperature increased the difficulty of rescue. Fortunately, the rescue team received support from the local people.

"We brought along some necessary medicines and equipment, and actively sought solutions locally. I think our actions inspired the local people, who spontaneously sent us some drinks and many electric fans. Of course, we also took strict measures on the rescue scene. The smell of decay was very strong at the earthquake site, so we asked our operation teams to conduct disinfection before leaving the site and after returning," Zhao said.

On March 31, the China Search and Rescue Team pulled out four survivors - three adult females and a girl - after 13 hours of hard work in Myanmar's seriously-hit Mandalay City.

At 00:40 March 31 local time, an adult female trapped for nearly 60 hours was rescued after over five hours of relentless work, marking the first survivor rescued by the team in the city.

Without pausing for rest, the rescuers immediately moved to another nearby site at the Sky Villa apartment complex.

Recalling details of the rescue mission, Li Guangnai, deputy leader of the China Search and Rescue Team, said that effective search and rescue methods improved efficiency at the dangerous and complicated structure.

"When we rescued the second and third survivors, they were in Block C of the apartment, which collapsed like a pancake. After arriving at the scene, the rescuers went to the roof according to the direction given by the survivors' family members. When we used the radar life detector on the roof, we did not find them. So we created absolute silence by suspending all rescue operations and then knocked on the floor with stones to transmit the sound to see if there was any response from the trapped people. We knocked continuously and received a response from inside. Through the sound, we quickly confirmed the approximate location. According to the evaluation of the experts on the scene, we used a method of top-to-bottom demolition for the rescue," Li said.

At 05:37 on the day, a 5-year-old girl who was buried in Block C of Sky Villa was rescued. Li said the girl was curled up in fear in the corner of the wardrobe when being found, protecting her head with a teddy bear.

About an hour later, a woman who was buried in the same rubble was successfully rescued. She was 26 weeks pregnant. At around 07:15, a 29-year-old woman trapped in Block A of Sky Villa was pulled out of the debris. She was trapped under the broken beam on the sixth floor for 65 hours.

Another survivor was miraculously pulled out alive from beneath the rubble of a collapsed hotel in central Myanmar's disaster-hit Mandalay City on April 2. The male survivor was said to be in a stable condition after spending nearly 125 hours buried among the ruins of the Golden Country Hotel building.

Zhao said that after the 72-hour "golden window" for rescue, the China Search and Rescue Team would begin to cooperate with local authorities to carry out diagnosis and treatment of the injured and disaster assessment.

"As the possibility of finding survivors in the disaster area decreases, our team can assist the local area in some other work. For example, today we officially set up an outpatient clinic on the street with the permission of the local government. Our earthquake engineering experts can conduct emergency assessments on some buildings," he said.

Chinese rescue team recalls details in Myanmar earthquake rescue missions