BEIJING, October 14. /TASS/. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) would use its superior military power in the event of a direct clash with the Taiwanese army to quickly establish full control over the island, Professor Zhang Chi from the China PLA National Defense University said while commenting on the Joint Sword 2024B exercise on the country’s central television.

"In this exercise, we used our superior forces to significantly weaken the Taiwanese army's defenses and activities," the expert said. He added that the exercise scenario envisioned PLA maritime and air forces, along with China's coast guard, "invading the island of Taiwan from various directions and blocking it from all sides."

Zhang Chi compared this to "a sharp sword pointed directly at the so-called defensive space of the Taiwanese authorities."

"We can say that the intensity of pressure is unprecedented, fully demonstrating <...> the ability of the People’s Liberation Army to control the island from all directions and in various areas," the professor stated. He added that this scenario could be transitioned from exercises to actual combat operations "at any time."

Zhang Chi noted that the Chinese armed forces were deployed at night and "quickly went on the offensive straight from the march, demonstrating a confident fighting style, a high level of training, and the ability to achieve excellent results in actual combat operations."

The expert also pointed out that PLA naval forces, primarily destroyers and frigates, "attacked Taiwan from four directions at once." Meanwhile, aircraft - mainly fighters and bombers - "rushed across the Taiwan Strait and approached the island of Taiwan." Zhang Chi added that the Chinese Coast Guard should play its role in establishing law and order in Taiwan.

The exercise, he said, "demonstrates [China’s] firm determination and ability to control Taiwan in accordance with the ‘One China’ principle and the law."

The escalation around Taiwan

Taiwanese administration head Lai Ching-te said on October 10 that Taipei remains committed to keeping the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. The island will defend its "state sovereignty," he said. In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning reiterated that Taiwan was a part of China, and would never be an independent country.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Official Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China.