Taipei [Taiwan], January 31 : Taiwan's Marine Corps held a maritime drill Wednesday at the Zuoying Naval Base in Kaohsiung, featuring a mine-laying ship and a domestically built assault boat that carried out maritime surveillance and combat operations to simulate defending against a Chinese invasion, Focus Taiwan reported.
The manoeuvres, which took place in waters around Zuoying Harbour, were designed to test the Marine Corps' ability to identify Chinese military movements quickly as well as their combat preparedness and capability.
During the exercise, the Taiwan Navy made an emergency departure from the harbour with a minelayer and an indigenous M109 assault boat and performed a variety of actions, including surveillance and the use of radar systems and drones to alert battleship forces to approaching hostile forces, reported Focus Taiwan.
Officers and troops on the M109 assault boat told CNA that during the drills, the M109 assault boat played an important part in the operation by bringing sea and land forces together to respond to China's "grey zone" actions near Taiwan while maintaining maritime safety.
Since 2020, China has increased the use of "grey zone tactics" in the form of deployment of military aircraft and naval vessels over the median line and inside Taiwan's ADIZ.
China's Communist Party considers Taiwan its own territory, despite never having controlled it. While emphasising a preference for peaceful "reunification," Chinese officials have not ruled out the use of force.
The historical roots of the Taiwan-China relationship trace back to 1949 when General Chiang Kai-shek fled with his nationalist forces to Taiwan after Mao's Red Army gained control in the Chinese Civil War.
Moreover, Taiwan also remains a sensitive issue in US-China relations. During a recent summit with US President Joe Biden, Xi asserted that China's "reunification" with Taiwan is "unstoppable."
The United States maintains an unofficial relationship with Taiwan, recognising China's position that Taiwan is part of its territory.
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