Eastern Theater Command conducts joint combat readiness patrols, experts: clarify bottom line, draw red line

[Global Times - Global Network Report by reporter Guo Yuandan] On the 18th, the Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army announced that it organized naval and air forces to conduct joint combat readiness patrols in relevant sea and air areas of the East China Sea. Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported that this move is seen as Beijing's response to Japan's actions. The day before, on the 131st anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer passed through the Taiwan Strait, sending a wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. Experts interviewed by the Global Times stated that this action by the Japanese ship clearly has a political probing and provocative nature, and the actions of the Chinese People's Liberation Army demonstrate that we have both the capability for precise control and the determination to firmly counteract.

Colonel Xu Chenghua, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command, stated on the 18th that the People's Liberation Army organized naval and air forces to conduct joint combat readiness patrols in relevant sea and air areas of the East China Sea, which is a normal arrangement within the annual plan aimed at testing the joint combat capabilities of the troops.

“The purpose of this joint combat readiness patrol by the Eastern Theater Command is clear, as the spokesperson has explicitly stated: ‘Based on the needs of the security situation, we regularly organize relevant military actions to maintain national sovereignty, security, and regional peace and stability.’” Military expert Zhang Junsha told the Global Times, “When national sovereignty and territorial integrity are severely provoked, the PLA will express its stance through military actions, highlighting its bottom line and drawing red lines.”

The day before, on the 17th, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer "Rei" passed through the Taiwan Strait. The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately made strong statements. Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang stated on the 17th that the Japanese Self-Defense Force vessels are stirring up trouble in the Taiwan Strait, sending wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, which will only incite greater indignation among the Chinese people and further strengthen the resolve to counter Japan's provocative actions.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that the remarks made by Takashima Sato regarding Taiwan have already brought serious impacts to China-Japan relations. The Japanese side's dispatch of Self-Defense Force vessels into the Taiwan Strait to flaunt military power and provoke intentionally is a mistake upon mistake. Guo Jiakun emphasized that the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is the political foundation of China-Japan relations, which is a red line that cannot be crossed. China once again urges Japan to genuinely reflect and correct its mistakes, to stop at the edge of the cliff, to be cautious in words and actions, and not to stray further down the wrong path.

“The Eastern Theater Command's countermeasures are not aimed at normal navigation, but at Japan's deliberate provocative threats to China's sovereignty and security, and illegal actions that send wrong signals to the 'Taiwan independence' forces.” Zhang Junsha further analyzed that the military actions of the Eastern Theater Command are an exercise of jurisdiction and self-defense according to law. The Taiwan Strait is not high seas or so-called "international waters." According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and Chinese domestic law, the Taiwan Strait includes China's internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, and exclusive economic zone, and China has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Strait while also respecting the legitimate rights of other countries in the relevant sea areas.

This expert stated that the timing of Japan's dispatch of warships to pass through the Taiwan Strait on the 131st anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki is no coincidence, revealing the dangerous intentions of some in Japan to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait. China has the right to track, warn, and even drive away provocative actions. “If Japan continues to provoke, China may normalize joint operations of multiple military branches.”

Therefore, the Eastern Theater Command's joint combat readiness patrol aims to demonstrate the determination and capability to firmly respond to external threats to China's sovereignty and security. According to the Eastern Theater Command, the Japanese destroyer "Rei" passed through the Taiwan Strait from 4:02 to 17:50 on the 17th.

Zhang Junsha analyzed that Japan's deliberate choice to send ships into the Taiwan Strait during the early morning hours to provoke, this intentional avoidance of visibility also conceals its probing intentions. The Eastern Theater Command precisely recorded the sailing time of the Japanese ship, clearly sending a signal to Japan: the Eastern Theater Command conducted full monitoring and effective regulation of the Japanese military vessel passing through the Taiwan Strait. After the Japanese ship entered the Strait, its movements were always under our strict monitoring, remaining in a controlled state. Relying on a three-dimensional firepower system of land, sea, and air, the theater forces can effectively control it, and once Japan takes provocative actions, the troops will respond decisively and punish according to the law as the situation warrants.

From the timing of the actions, the day after Japan's provocation, the Eastern Theater Command launched joint combat readiness patrols, reflecting a state of alert, rapid emergency response capability, and effective control over the Taiwan Strait. “The PLA has ample capability to respond quickly to any provocative actions and maintain the initiative on the scene,” said Zhang Junsha.

Zhang Junsha stated that this action by the Eastern Theater Command is also to deter Japan's gradual probing and provocations, sending a warning to Japan's right-wing forces.

Previously, Japan had passed through the Taiwan Strait three times, on September 2024, February 2025, and June, evolving from following allied vessels to taking independent actions, which is a typical gradual probing and escalating approach.

“Currently, Japan is promoting constitutional amendments and military expansion, accelerating the pace of 'remilitarization.' Its statements and actions regarding the Taiwan issue aim to gradually break through the restrictions of the post-war system and seek military presence in the Taiwan Strait, intervening militarily in the Taiwan issue.” Zhang Junsha emphasized that China will never compromise on this: the Eastern Theater Command's strong countermeasures are a strategic warning directed at Japan's right-wing forces: China absolutely will not allow history to repeat itself and will leave no strategic ambiguity regarding 'military intervention in the Taiwan Strait.'