The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) holds the Joint Sword-2024B exercises in the Taiwan Straits on October 14, 2024. Illustration: Courtesy of the PLA Eastern Theater Command

On Monday, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command is dispatching its troops of army, navy, air force and rocket force to conduct joint military drills code-named Joint Sword-2024B in the Taiwan Straits and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan island. The drill serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of “Taiwan Independence” forces, Senior Captain Li Xi, spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement released early Monday morning.

With vessels and aircraft approaching Taiwan island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services engage in joint drills, focusing on subjects of sea-air combat-readiness patrol, blockade on key ports and areas, assault on maritime and ground targets, as well as joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, so as to test the joint operations capabilities of the theater command’s troops, Li said.

The drill serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of “Taiwan Independence” forces. It is a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding state sovereignty and national unity, said the spokesperson.

Soon after Lai’s separatist inaugural speech on May 20, the PLA Eastern Theater Command held the Joint Sword-2024A exercises in the Taiwan Straits, the north, south and east of the Taiwan island, as well as areas around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin from May 23 to 24.

Li, the spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said at that time the Joint Sword-2024A exercises serve as a strong punishment for the separatist acts of "Taiwan independence" forces and a stern warning against interference and provocation by external forces.

The decision to conduct military exercises is solely within a nation's sovereign rights, experts said.

As outlined in the 1949 Draft Declaration on the Rights and Duties of States by the United Nations, each state has the right to manage its internal and external affairs according to its own discretion, without outside interference, coercion, or directives. Consequently, a state has the legitimate right to govern the development and deployment of its armed forces through its domestic laws, Zheng Hong, a research fellow from PLA Naval Research Academy, told the Global Times on Monday.

Zheng noted that China's Constitution states that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China and the PLA's role is to strengthen national defense, protect the motherland, and resist external aggression. China's National Security Law stipulates that the state shall take all necessary defense and control measures to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, and to prevent armed subversion and secession.

The National Defense Law of China specifies that one of PLA's core missions is to defend the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Anti-Secession Law stipulates that the "Taiwan independence" forces are prohibited from separating Taiwan from China under any name or in any way, said Zheng.

These legal provisions, whether in international law or Chinese domestic law, provide the legal basis for the PLA to carry out exercises on the country’s territory and in its jurisdictional waters to effectively fulfill its mission, Zheng said.

The PLA requires no so-called "excuses" to conduct exercises, as it strictly adheres to domestic laws when fulfilling its duties. In response to Lai’s provocative actions in pursuit of “Taiwan independence,” the PLA is obliged to take firm, decisive measures to punish and deter such moves. "The greater the provocation, the stronger the response."