The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command has released a video of recent flight training exercises, where an Evergreen Line cargo ship makes a surprise appearance. The PLA is holding military exercises in the South China Sea, Bohai Sea, and Yellow Sea, and on Aug. 27 it began practical weapons training in the East China Sea as well.


The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command has released a video of recent continuous flight training exercises with a high degree of difficulty. In the footage, an Evergreen Line cargo ship made a surprise appearance in the waters where the exercises were taking place, producing a curious image of Chinese fighters with a Taiwanese cargo ship.

The company said it asked its ships to avoid the military exercises, and the image may have resulted from the filming angle. The PLA has been very active as of late, with exercises taking place in the South China Sea, Bohai Sea, and Yellow Sea. On Aug. 27, it began practical weapons training in the East China Sea, meaning it was holding simultaneous exercises in all four of its major territorial waters.

It's trying to show its ability to attack Taiwan and menace the United States. For China, the U.S. is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

On Aug. 26, the PLA fired two missiles in the South China Sea. One was a Dong-Feng 21 ballistic missile, which is capable of destroying an aircraft carrier. The U.S. sent RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft to the location of the exercises, and there is discussion that the PLA is responding to the intrusion of American aircraft into a no-fly zone in the northern theater and demonstrating China's military capabilities in the South China Sea.

The U.S. military's aircraft carriers completed the preparations for the interception of China's ballistic missiles in less than one minute after the launch. It wanted to scare the Democratic Progressive Party and scare us, and take a stance against the U.S.

There are reports that communications between Taiwan and the U.S. may result in the Trump administration announcing an arms deal in September. The deal would include shore-mounted harpoons, and the budget has reportedly been increased from NT$50 billion to NT$81 billion. Former American Institute in Taiwan Director Douglas Paal is happy about this arms deal, claiming it will raise Taiwan's defensive capabilities.

The Trump administration's efforts will improve Taiwan's self-defense capabilities. The addition of F-16s this past year... I'll put this on the question of whether a few more tanks will make a big difference to help Taiwan.

The military has also said National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology's mass production plan for extended-range Hsiung Feng II missiles won't be affected and they can be mutually used with harpoons to counter the threat from China.



解放軍東部戰區海軍航空兵某旅組織，日前宣稱展開高難度跨晝夜飛行訓練，值得注意的是，影片畫面右上角，竟出現我國的長榮貨船，出沒在中國軍演海域，意外形成共機跟我方貨輪同框的畫面。

對此，長榮海運回應，有要求貨輪遠離軍演範圍，這回可能是拍攝角度導致。解放軍近期軍事動作不斷，除了在南海、渤海、黃海展開軍演，更加碼從27號開始，在東海進行實際使用武器訓練，中國罕見在四大海域同步軍演，引發外界高度關注。

國防部資深諮詢委員 宋兆文表示：「要展現他這個攻台的能力，他對美國威脅，美國對於中國來講，是遠在天邊。」

解放軍26號還在南海發射兩枚飛彈，其中一枚，正是有航母殺手之稱的東風-21D反艦飛彈，對此，美軍的RC-135S偵查機，就現蹤在中國的南海軍演地點附近，反制意味濃厚，外界解讀解放軍警告美國，不只回擊美機闖入北部戰區的演習禁飛區，也展現中國在南海的威懾力。

國防部資深諮詢委員 宋兆文表示：「美軍的航空母艦，在他(中國)彈道飛彈一發射，不到一分鐘，就已經完成攔截的準備，要嚇唬民進黨，要嚇唬我們，對美國是擺一個姿態。」

傳出在我方與美方積極溝通下，川普政府可望9月宣布對台軍售，其中包括岸置魚叉飛彈等項目，不只數量增加，預算也從500億，大幅增加至810億。前美國在台協會處長包道格，也樂見美台軍售案，提高台灣防衛能力。

前美國在台協會處長 包道格表示：「由於川普政府的努力，提高台灣的防衛能力，就像是去年提升了F-16的性能。但我更想知道，再多的坦克車售台，是否真的能夠讓台灣的軍事能力變得更好？」

除了台美軍售案進展，國軍也強調，中科院增程型雄二飛彈的量產計畫，不會受到干擾，可和岸置魚叉飛彈交互運用，對抗共軍威脅。