China’s Eastern Theater Command, a joint-command structure which includes the Taiwan Strait, released a statement about the drills announced this morning, April 1, on its WeChat account.
It quoted Zhu Anqing (朱安慶), a spokesperson for the East China Sea Bureau of the China Coast Guard, saying coast guard vessel formations conducted “law-enforcement patrols in waters surrounding Taiwan island, and carried out drills such as inspection and capture, interception and detention operations against unwarranted vessels.”
At this point there is no indication that these drills actually involved the interdiction of Taiwanese or international vessels. China has made similar announcements as part of previous exercises.
Zhu continued: “These drills are concrete actions to exercise legitimate jurisdiction and control over the Island in accordance with the one-China principle.”
Update: Chinese State media Global Times published an article explaining that the coast guard poster contains design elements from the box office hit Ne Zha 2. The red line around Taiwan is a “huntian ling,” a binding weapon wielded by Nezha. The huntian ling is closed around Taiwan but open to China to show both “encirclement” and “bond.”
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day.
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