The most powerful expert in all previous Taiwan Strait exercises of the People’s Liberation Army： approaching the island of Hewei is unprecedented.

　　On August 2, US Speaker of the House of Representatives Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan, China despite China’s strong opposition and solemn representations. The People’s Liberation Army of China countered with practical actions. Since August 2, it has launched a series of joint military operations around Taiwan Island. From 12: 00 on August 4 to 12: 00 on August 7, it conducted important military exercises in the designated sea areas and airspace, and organized live-fire shooting. Why is the area of the China People’s Liberation Army’s training exercise so demarcated? What are the characteristics of the training content and participating troops? What do you want to achieve through this training? Meng Xiangqing, a professor at National Defense University, analyzed and interpreted the related issues one by one.

　　• On August 2, US Speaker of the House of Representatives Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan, China despite China’s strong opposition and solemn representations. After the incident, People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC)’s spokesperson, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Taiwan Province Work Office, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Foreign Affairs Committee and Ministry of National Defense’s spokespersons immediately issued statements, statements and talks, which were firmly opposed and severely condemned.

　　• Late at night on August 2nd, China Xie Feng, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs was ordered to urgently summon U.S. Ambassador to China Burns to make solemn representations and strong protests to the U.S. side on behalf of the China administration over Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, China.

　　• On the evening of August 2, the People’s Liberation Army of China announced that it would conduct important military exercises in the designated sea areas and airspace from 12: 00 on August 4 to 12: 00 on August 7, 2022, and organize live-fire shooting. Beginning on the evening of August 2, the Eastern Theater launched a series of joint military operations around Taiwan Island, and conducted joint air and sea exercises in the northern, southwest and southeast airspace of Taiwan Island.

　　• On August 3rd, the Eastern Theater was located in the northern, southwest and southeast sea and airspace of Taiwan Island, and organized a practical joint exercise with the participation of the theater navy, air force, rocket army, strategic support force, joint logistics support force and other forces, focusing on joint blockade control, sea assault, land attack, air combat and other subjects.

　　• On August 4th, the Eastern Theater organized troops to carry out an unprecedented practical training in the sea and airspace around Taiwan Island, and successfully carried out long-range firepower and conventional missile firepower live-fire shooting in the scheduled sea area, all of which hit the target accurately.

　　• On the afternoon of August 4th, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman of the Eastern Theater, said that the whole live-fire launching training task had been successfully completed, and the relevant air and sea control had been lifted.

　　What breakthroughs have our army made in the training activities around Taiwan Island this time?

　　Meng Xiangqing, a professor at National Defense University, said: The training activities around Taiwan Island are really different from the previous training activities aimed at "Taiwan independence" in the history of our army. There are three main features:

　　The first one is approaching Taiwan Island. This time, whether it is the six designated areas, the whole live-fire shooting, or our training activities, it is very close to Taiwan Island. This has never happened in the past. In the past, we were mainly along the mainland, but this time we directly zoned around Taiwan Island, and even zoned our target to the east of Taiwan Island. It should be said that such a plan has a great deterrent effect on "Taiwan independence".

　　The second is Heweitai Island. This is also unprecedented. We said that we had never approached Taiwan Island in the past, let alone encircled Taiwan Island. The six major areas we have delineated closely surround Taiwan Island, which can be jointly blocked and controlled, and can also strike at the "Taiwan independence" forces. Therefore, such an encircling Taiwan island is like a chain. If six areas connect it into a line, it is equivalent to trapping "Taiwan independence" in the island. So this is an unprecedented island in the history of our army.

　　The third is to deter the intervention of external forces. In fact, two areas to the north of this area are close to Okinawa, while the two areas to the south are guarding bashi channel, so bashi channel can be jointly blocked. What does this mean? Bashi channel is the only place to pass in and out of the South China Sea, which has a direct deterrent effect on external forces.

　　Why did you choose these six places on the map as the training areas?

　　Meng Xiangqing, a professor at National Defense University: Actually, it contains profound connotations. The first area is the southeast of Pingtan Island. This is the narrowest part of the Taiwan Province Strait, which actually completely breaks the so-called "central line of the Strait". The concept of "the central line of the strait" was drawn by Americans. We never recognized the so-called "central line of the strait", and there is no such "central line of the strait" in the eyes of the People’s Liberation Army. This time, I think it completely broke the so-called "strait center line." Pingtan Island in the east is the narrowest place from this strait, and two-thirds of the so-called "strait midline" is on the east side of the "strait". Therefore, the designation of this area this time has profound significance. Look at the two areas in the north, one is the northeast and the other is the north, just off the coast of Keelung Port in Taiwan Province. This means that a blockade can be imposed on Keelung Port. Look at this area in the east. This area is the east of Taiwan Island. In front of it are two important military bases of Taiwan Army, one is Hualien and the other is Taitung. Hualien has a Jiashan base, which is the underground hangar of Taiwan military. It is said that in order to avoid the first attack of the People’s Liberation Army, it can accommodate more than 400 planes, and it is also known as the so-called largest underground hangar in the Far East. The establishment of such an area in the east has an important direction.It is a direct attack on the two military bases of the Taiwan military. Look at these two districts in the south. One is the southeast of Kenting in Taiwan Province, which is guarding bashi channel. Bashi channel is the gateway to and from the South China Sea, so bashi channel can be blocked. Look at the last area, southwest of Taiwan Province, which happens to be a sea and airspace in Zuoying, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Province, and it has formed a trend of closing the door to "Taiwan independence". So connect the six areas into a line, just like a noose, and the knot of the noose is just in the southwest direction.

　　What changes have been made in this exercise compared with 1996?

　　Professor Meng Xiangqing of National Defense University:There are several changes. The first change is that the exercise in 1996 was also a deterrent to "Taiwan independence", mainly aimed at a series of "Taiwan independence" actions of Lee Teng-hui’s visit to the United States in 1995. That exercise was mainly on the coastal line near the mainland, and this time it was mainly near Taiwan Island. The second change is that the intensity and intensity are much higher than that. This exercise can be said to be the strongest, strongest and most deterrent in our previous exercises in the Taiwan Strait crisis. For example, our missiles fired directly across the island, which happened to cross the area where Patriot missiles in Taiwan Province were densely deployed. At the same time, it also achieved a precise strike under the nose of the American Aegis ship, forcing the American "Reagan" aircraft carrier to retreat for hundreds of kilometers. The third change is to organize a shocking exercise of aircraft carrier formation for the first time and build a three-dimensional combat platform at sea. When the aircraft carrier formation goes out, there should be nuclear submarines operating underwater. Although it is dominated by the eastern theater, other theaters are also involved. The subjects of the exercise include joint blockade, attack on the sea, assault on land, and air combat. Its actual combat background is very strong. Although this is a training exercise, it can be transformed from training to actual combat at any time.

　　On August 4th, the Eastern Theater Air Force and the Eastern Theater Naval Air Force dispatched hundreds of fighters, bombers and other multi-type fighters to take off in formation, and went to the airspace in the north, southwest and southeast of Taiwan Island to carry out joint reconnaissance, air assault, support cover and other tasks day and night. More than 10 escort ships continued to be deployed in the waters around Taiwan Island, carrying out joint sealing and control operations, sweeping the sea for the fire test area, and cooperating with neighboring forces to conduct reconnaissance and guidance.

　　At about 13: 00, the Army troops of the Eastern Theater launched a long-range fire live-fire shooting in the Taiwan Province Strait, which struck a specific area in the eastern part of the Taiwan Province Strait accurately and achieved the expected results. After receiving the combat mission in the morning, in the mission area of an artillery brigade of the Army in the Eastern Theater, a number of new long-range box rockets were maneuvered to the launching position according to orders. After arriving at the shooting area, the detachment quickly completed the preparations for live-fire shooting such as rocket loading and shooting data binding. As the commander gave the password, many shells rushed to the target sea area and hit the target accurately. After receiving the combat mission, the officers and men of a missile brigade of the Rocket Army in the Eastern Theater quickly completed the preparations for combat mobilization, and the troops were ordered to move to the scheduled combat area. After arriving at the predetermined area, the launching unit quickly hides and stands by to get ready for launch. After receiving the launch command, the trumpeter quickly started to operate, erect the missile and bind the parameters.

　　At about 15 o’clock, with the commander’s command, the missiles rose in turn and stabbed the sky. The Rocket Force of the Eastern Theater launched a multi-regional and multi-model conventional missile fire assault on the scheduled sea area off the eastern part of Taiwan Island, and all the missiles hit the target area. Later, Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Theater, said that the entire live-fire launch training mission had been successfully completed, and the relevant air and sea control was lifted.

　　What are the characteristics of this long-range rocket launcher?

　　Professor Meng Xiangqing of National Defense University:The biggest hot spot this time is live ammunition. Live-fire shooting, one is the army’s long-range rocket launcher, and the other is the rocket army’s regular pilot test firing. Long-range rockets are different from ordinary rockets: the first one is long range. From tens of kilometers to hundreds of kilometers, it can cover the whole island of Taiwan Province. It was the shelling of Kinmen in 1958, and now it can cover the whole island. In fact, it also sent a clear signal to Taiwan independence that long-range rockets can cover the whole island, not to mention other weapons. The second is high accuracy. New army long-range rockets are generally equipped with guidance devices, which have high launch density and high launch accuracy. You can call whenever you want, and you can call wherever you want. The third is cost-effective. The ammunition of long-range rocket launcher is very different from precision guided and medium-and long-range missiles. General cruise missiles, tens of millions of RMB, and long-range rocket ammunition are much cheaper. That is to say, as long as we rely on the system support of our industrial and military departments, we can produce it quickly. This is the third feature of long-range rocket launchers. The fourth is very mobile. Long-range rocket launchers are all highly mobile vehicles to carry, which are highly mobile, stop when they say it, and fight when they say it, and its survival rate is relatively strong. I think this is the outstanding feature of the new long-range rocket launcher!

　　What are the characteristics of the conventional missiles launched this time?

　　Professor Meng Xiangqing of National Defense University:This time, our conventional missiles have also performed well. The media in Taiwan Province have blown up the pot, and they have reported that China’s medium-and long-range missiles and conventional missiles have flown over Taiwan Province Island. Even Taiwan Province’s defense department has come out to reassure the people, saying that everyone should not be nervous and panic, because their missiles are very high and will not pose a threat to the island, which also reflects the guilty conscience of Taiwan Province’s defense department. This time, the rocket army’s conventional missiles are very accurate. It has several characteristics: the first is precision strike; The second one has strong penetration ability, which can break through the anti-missile system; The third is that it has a strong viability. This time, we often guide a lot of mobile launches, and we can go after the fight.

　　What kind of development state can we see from this training operation?

　　Professor Meng Xiangqing of National Defense University:In the past ten years, the development and upgrading of our army’s weapons and equipment has been very fast. For example, the army’s equipment that everyone is concerned about is becoming more and more advanced, and large surface ships are emerging like Lower jiaozi. We often see the so-called Dongfeng Express, which means that our conventional Dongfeng series missiles and various types of series missiles are becoming more and more complete, which constitutes such a systematic capability.

　　What style did our officers and men show during this training activity?

　　Professor Meng Xiangqing of National Defense University:The strength of our army can be classified from two major aspects: one is the hard strength of our army, that is, the level of weapons and equipment and the information-based combat capability that everyone sees, which are all hard strength. One is the soft power of our army, such as the commanding ability and level of commanders, the spiritual outlook of officers and men, and our firm belief, determination and will. This is also a very important aspect. I think there is a saying that the artillery listens to my command and I listen to the party’s command, which reflects that the officers and men of our army have taken on a new look in the new era.

　　On August 3rd, when asked by reporters about Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan Province, UN Secretary-General Guterres affirmed his adherence to the one-China principle.

　　UN Secretary-General Guterres:Our position is very clear. We abide by the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and the one-China principle. Everything we do is guided by this principle.

　　The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, which holds the rotating presidency of ASEAN, issued a statement saying that ASEAN member countries support the one-China principle and call for upholding the UN Charter and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

　　On August 4th, Tan Kefei, spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense, made a speech on our series of military countermeasures. China’s army means what it says. The Eastern Theater of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army organized multi-service and multi-service joint targeted drills such as sea assault, land attack and air combat in the sea and airspace around Taiwan Island, and organized live-fire shooting with precision weapons, which was a solemn shock to the United States and Taiwan.

　　It is not only "Taiwan independence", not only the separatist forces on the island, but also the United States that will be shocked by this training exercise.

　　Professor Meng Xiangqing of National Defense University:Our exercise is indeed strongly targeted. From a historical perspective, the United States has been saying one thing and doing another for so many years. We often talk about the one-China policy, and we have repeatedly said that it has not changed until the Biden administration. Moreover, Biden made a promise and statement called "Four No’s and No Objections", that is to say, the one-China policy will not change, nor will opposing Taiwan Province’s "independence". But if we take a closer look, the United States is saying one thing and doing another. Say no change, in fact, we see that Pelosi, as the No.3 powerful figure in the United States, and the US Congress, as an important part of the US government, made a surprise visit to Taiwan Province, which seriously violated Three Joint Communiqués’s regulations and the one-China principle, seriously damaged Sino-US relations and relations between the two militaries, and also seriously shaken the political foundation for the development of relations between the two countries. In addition to Pelosi’s visit, after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States in 1979, the United States immediately issued three joint communiques, and soon the US Congress passed the so-called Taiwan Relations Act, which itself runs counter to the spirit of the three joint communiques. Therefore, in the decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, the United States has continuously sold weapons to Taiwan Province, and has sold them more than 100 times. We see that arms sales to Taiwan are high-end, continuous and normal. In addition, there are many others. For example, the United States keeps internationalizing the Taiwan Province issue in the international community and wants to include Taiwan Province as an observer member of the World Health Organization.But also a few countries and forces that support or encourage the international community to support such actions of Taiwan Province. For example, the establishment of the "Taiwan Representative Office" in Lithuania is supported and encouraged by the United States. All these show that as long as the United States does not change its style of saying one thing and doing another, and does not change its cold war mentality and hegemonic thinking, I think it is difficult to stabilize Sino-US relations.

　　At present, more than 100 countries in the world have expressed their support for China’s position and opposed the provocative behavior of the United States. Including the United Nations, what do you think of this universal response from the international community?

　　Meng Xiangqing, a professor at National Defense University: We say that the principle of one China has become the general consensus of the international community, and adhering to the policy of one China has also become the basic norm of international relations. As early as October 25, 1971, the United Nations adopted the famous resolution 2758. This resolution clearly states that the government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the sole legal government and Taiwan Province is an inalienable part of China. This has formed the basic norms of international relations, and we have established diplomatic relations with 181 countries. The most important political basis for these 181 countries to establish diplomatic relations is that they all recognize the one-China policy, so one China is also a world trend. The general trend of the world is vast, those who follow it will prosper, and those who go against it will die.

　　The one-China principle is the general consensus of the international community, and national reunification is also the general trend.

　　Professor Meng Xiangqing of National Defense University:You are right. In fact, it is not only the basic norm of international relations, but also the world trend. We say that the realization of national reunification is an irresistible trend, and no one or force can stop it, nor can we provide any opportunity for anyone or force to split China. This is our clear attitude. We talked about a series of countermeasures we have taken this time, especially the major military countermeasures, which not only showed our determination and will to resolutely defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, but also showed that we in Chinese kept our word, and we kept our word and will do so in the future. However, our major policy of peaceful reunification and "one country, two systems" has not changed. We still have to adhere to such a major policy, because peaceful reunification and "one country, two systems" are most beneficial to the people on both sides of the strait and to the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation. As long as there is a glimmer of hope for peace, I think everyone should make 100% peace efforts. But on the other hand, we can’t allow any attempt to split China. Therefore, historical experience has repeatedly proved that only when you can fight can you make peace, and it is more necessary to prepare for peace. For a country and a nation, both peace and preparation should be hard. For an army, there is only one kind of military duty, that is, preparing for war. Therefore, we say that we did not, do not and will never promise to give up the use of force. Moreover, in order to achieve national reunification, we have made the greatest peaceful efforts.But we will never promise to give up using force to solve this problem, provided that Taiwan Province cannot be independent and external forces cannot interfere.