“CLOSING IN”
China’s military released a series of propaganda videos in quick succession after the drill announcement, depicting Chinese warships and fighter jets encircling Taiwan, Taipei being aimed at from above, and military vehicles patrolling city streets.
A video of a poster accompanying the drills titled “Closing In,” and showing Chinese forces surrounding the island, was released on the Eastern Theater Command’s Weibo.
This was followed by a video titled “Shell”, depicting president Lai as a green cartoon bug spawning parasites across the island, on the Eastern Theater Command’s WeChat page.
“Parasite poisoning Taiwan island. Parasite hollowing Island out. Parasite courting ultimate destruction,” the animation said.
Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said such rhetoric was not conducive to peace and “shows their provocative character,” when asked about Lai’s cartoon depiction.
A third video, “Subdue Demons and Vanquish Evils”, featured Sun Wukong, the magical monkey king from the Ming Dynasty epic “Journey to the West” as he is depicted in the “Black Myth: Wukong” hit video game.
It opens with the video’s title flashing across the screen and the Chinese mythical warrior riding on clouds before cutting to footage of Chinese fighter jets.
“The joint exercise and training conducted by the Eastern Theater of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the vicinity of Taiwan Island is a resolute punishment for the Lai Ching-Te authorities’ rampant ‘independence’ provocations,” said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
Taiwan’s Koo told reporters the PLA should focus first on resolving its issues with corruption instead of destroying peace and stability in the region.
China’s military has undergone a sweeping anti-corruption purge over the past few years, which saw former Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu ousted in October 2024.
China’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Koo’s remarks.
The Global Times, which is owned by the People’s Daily newspaper of the governing Chinese Communist Party, said the drill had not been given a code name to show that Chinese military forces surrounding the island “has become a normal practice,” citing Zhang Chi of National Defence University.
“Through a series of exercises held in the Taiwan Strait in recent years, the PLA has strongly enahnced its ability to prepare for war and fight battles,” the article on the paper’s Weixin social media page added.
