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In wake of Taiwan elections, Chinese TV reports PLA live-fire drill

ROC Central News Agency

2016/01/21 20:06:31

Taipei, Jan. 21 (CNA) A state-run television network in China reported Wednesday that a live-fire drill had been conducted recently by the Chinese military off China's southeast coast, the first report of a military exercise following Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections last week.

The China Central Television (CCTV) report came after Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), chairwoman of the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won a landslide victory in Taiwan's presidential election and her party also gained a legislative majority, winning 68 seats in the 113-member Legislature.

In the report, CCTV said the 31st Group Army, a military formation of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) based in the southeastern city of Xiamen, had conducted a large-scale live-fire landing drill off Southeast China.

According to the report, long-range rocket, self-propelled artillery, amphibious tank and helicopter units took part in the drill, but it did not say exactly when the exercise was staged.

There have been concerns that relations across the Taiwan Strait would deteriorate under Tsai's administration, since the DPP is known for its pro-Taiwan independence stance.

However, Tsai, without using the term '1992 consensus,' said she 'understands and respects' the 'historic fact' that Taiwan and China 'reached some common acknowledgments and understanding in 1992'.

In an interview published Thursday in Taiwan's Liberty Times daily, Tsai said both sides of the Taiwan Strait will need to work hard to build a 'consistent, predictable and sustainable' cross-strait relationship.

Both the current Kuomintang administration in Taiwan and the Chinese government have said that the 1992 consensus should be the political foundation for future cross-strait relations despite any changes of government in Taiwan.

The consensus refers to the basic concept that both Taiwan and China agree there is only one China, with each side free to interpret what that means.

In response to the CCTV report, the Ministry of National defense said it knew China had held a 'routine military drill in winter' but CCTV had used video footage of an exercise that was conducted last year to give an 'exaggerated and false' report.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), meanwhile, has urged China to 'adopt a rational and realistic' attitude toward Taiwan's elections because 'it is the duty of both sides of the Taiwan Strait to maintain peace.'

MAC Deputy Minister Lin Chu-chia (林祖嘉) said Taiwan is always alert to China's military preparedness and threats.

'Besides beefing up our defense capabilities, we will also keep talking and negotiating with (China) in the hope that the problems can be solved peacefully,' Lin said.

(By Feng Chao, Elaine Hou and S.C. Chang)
ENDITEM/ke/pc