Beijing [China], July 3: The South China Morning Post reported on the evening of July 2 that a Chinese military landing ship appeared in an unusually close position north of Taiwan.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry confirmed on July 1 that a Type 072A amphibious landing ship of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was detected on June 27 just 111 kilometers from Taiwan's Keelung city, an important naval base and northern maritime gateway to Taipei, according to the South China Morning Post .
Chiu Chun-jung, chief of staff of Taiwan's maritime defense force, said the Type 072A ship had entered a range that "could threaten critical infrastructure" in Taiwan.
Chiu said Taiwanese forces have deployed surveillance and intelligence-gathering equipment across various maritime areas to "closely monitor" any activity by PLA vessels crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait or operating near Taiwan.
"Whatever specific activities the Type 072A is conducting - reconnaissance, familiarizing itself with sea lanes, or engaging in joint operations - all of these actions have been detected and monitored by our forces. We will respond appropriately when the situation requires," Chiu stressed.
Taiwan's defense forces concluded that the rare approach of the Type 072A was "gray zone harassment" by Beijing, the South China Morning Post reported, citing Taiwanese media.
There is currently no information about the PLA's response to the above statements and accusations from Taiwan.
The PLA's move comes ahead of the Han Kuang exercise, Taiwan's largest annual military exercise, which will begin on July 9.
This year's 10-day war games, involving 22,000 reservists, will be "unprecedented" in both duration and scale, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
