Aircraft carriers from the PLA Navy are set to take part in combat readiness exercises this summer in the
South China Sea
, and while the drills are likely to raise concerns in Taipei, their aim is not to seize Taiwan-controlled territory, military observers say.
Earlier this month, Japan’s Kyodo News reported that the PLA was planning a large-scale beach landing exercise near Hainan province in August, simulating the takeover of the Pratas Islands – a group of three atolls in the north of the South China Sea that are controlled by
Taiwan
.
“An aircraft carrier strike group will pass through the Pratas Islands on its way to the exercise site to the southeast of Taiwan in the Philippine Sea,” said a military insider, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Is PLA planning to seize Taiwanese islands in South China Sea?
Taipei-controlled Pratas and Taiping islands lost their geostrategic importance to Beijing after it developed eight artificial islands nearby, military observer says.
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