DATE=9/10/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=CHINA / TAIWAN (L) NUMBER=2-253690 BYLINE=STEPHANIE HO DATELINE=BEIJING CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: China says its military has carried out what appears to have been a mock invasion of Taiwan -- an island Beijing regards as a breakaway province. V-O- A's Stephanie Ho reports news of the Chinese military drills come as cross-strait tensions are high, following comments by Taiwan's president saying China should deal with the island as an equal state. TEXT: In an interview two months ago, Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui sparked the latest strain in cross-strait relations by calling for China to treat the island like a sovereign state. Shortly afterwards, Hong Kong media were full of unconfirmed reports of Chinese troop movements or war games in the waters near Taiwan. Friday, China's official Xinhua news agency reported Chinese warplanes, ships and thousands of soldiers carried out landing exercises on the coast of Zhejiang province -- across from Taiwan -- and in Guangdong province. Xinhua calls the drills large and says they took place earlier this month. But the report does not say when they happened or how many troops and vessels participated. On hand for the exercises was Zhang Wannian -- deputy chairman of China's Central Military Commission, the supreme civilian body controlling the armed forces. Mr. Zhang warned the Chinese army is ready to crush any attempts to split the motherland. He says the exercises showed the Chinese military's determination to safeguard territorial integrity and its strength to maintain national unity. The latest report of military drills cannot be independently confirmed. But, if it is true, it is China's most-threatening gesture yet at Taiwan. It also appears aimed at countering claims China lacks sufficient landing craft and experience to invade the island. Still, the Chinese military might not need to completely rely on its own resources. Nanjing Military Area commander Chen Bingde is quoted as saying he could mobilize more than 100-thousand civilian ships for use in a large-scale sea crossing. The strait separating the island from the mainland is 120-kilometers wide, at its narrowest point. Taiwanese and U-S military officials have said they saw no unusual military activity in the Taiwan Straits. Taipei accuses Beijing of using unconfirmed reports of Chinese military exercises and war games to wage psychological warfare against the island. (signed) NEB/HO/ wd 10-Sep-1999 06:02 AM LOC (10-Sep-1999 1002 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
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