The People’s Liberation Army 73rd Group Army exercised tactics and skills of near-shore driving and landing operations with armoured amphibious vehicles on a beach on the southeast coast of Fujian province, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“We are prepared for war at any second,” a soldier named Qian Bo was quoted as saying.
Another soldier, Bo Shaopu, said: “Our training has become more practical … We believe that when the day comes, we will have no problem immediately responding, fighting, and winning.”
The drill was conducted on the same day Lai made his one-year administrative speech, in which he pledged to strengthen the island’s defence and self-reliance to ensure security and stability against increasing cross-strait tension.
Chen Binhua, spokesman for the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Tuesday afternoon, after Lai’s speech, that recent comments by the Taiwanese leader suggested consistency with the Taiwan-independence position.
