Breaching of Taiwan Strait's Median Line Normalized? 共軍續侵擾我海空 越中線是否常態化受矚

PLA's military drills around Taiwan were supposed to end on Aug. 7, but military aircraft and warships could still be spotted nearby. There are also concerns about whether PLA crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait will be normalized in the future. 

Six F-16 fighter jets, which had just completed their mission, returned to Hualien Air Force Base at around 8:30 a.m. Although 10:00 a.m. was the end of China's military drills, it is understood that Chinese aircraft and ships are still in Taiwan's surrounding waters and airspace. 

The PLA's Eastern Theater Command announced on Weibo that the fighters and bombers passed through the Taiwan Strait during the military exercise, simulating ground attacks and long-range aerial attacks. China's official government media CCTV also published an article on its Weibo account mentioning ten breakthroughs achieved during this military exercise, including the first time a missile passed over Taiwan, crossing Taiwan Strait's median line, military drills closest to Taiwan, preventing interference from other foreign forces, setting up a shooting range for live-fire in eastern Taiwan, and so on. China's CCTV reported on the 7th claiming that Chinese military drills east of the Taiwan Strait's median line will be normalized. Domestic experts say further observation is required.

Shu Hsiao-huang, Associate Research Fellow, INDSR: “The Taiwan Strait's median line is unofficial but largely adhered to a virtual border. Does China want to break the status quo? The U.S. has announced it won't allow China to unilaterally change the status quo. Maybe the U.S. or other neighboring countries may not accept or allow such behavior.”

China also released a photo that claimed one of the PLA's ships was less than 12 miles away from the Hualien Heping Power Plant. Experts conclude these images and articles are mainly for propaganda, as well as to appease internal dissatisfaction with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

Shu Hsiao-huang, Associate Research Fellow, INDSR: “These photos have internal and external effects. China wants to cause panic among Taiwanese people with psychological warfare to stir internal social unrest.”

The Taiwanese military will also hold anti-landing military exercises on Aug. 9. Although this military drill was announced back on July 22, everyone still believes that it was meant to counter China's military exercise.

6架次剛執行完任務的F-16戰機，上午8時30分左右回到空軍花蓮基地，雖然上午10時是中國第7個臨時危險區飛航公告時間結束，不過據了解，對岸機艦對我國周邊的侵擾還在持續當中。

共軍東部戰區在微博公布，包括轟炸機在內，戰機編隊穿過台灣海峽的演訓畫面，模擬對地攻擊與空中遠距攻擊。另外中國官媒中央廣播電視總台，旗下微博帳號「玉淵譚天」也發布文章，內容提到這次對台演訓10個突破，包括首次有導彈穿越台灣、打破海峽中線，離台灣最近一次的演練、拒止外部勢力干涉、在台灣東部設實戰射擊靶場等等。中國央視7日報導，宣稱共軍機艦會常態化在海峽中線以東訓練，國內戰略學者分析，還需要進一步觀察。

國防院中共政軍與作戰概念研究所副研究員舒孝煌表示：「海峽中線這是一個默契的存在，那等於也是一條虛擬的線，表示你是不是要打破這個現狀。那美方已經宣布，就是不容許他片面改變現狀，可能這個美方或其他周邊國家，也許不能夠容許、不能夠接受的一個行為。」

另外，中國也公布一張宣稱是「共軍南京艦」靠近花蓮和平電廠不到12浬的照片，學者分析這些影像與文章的發布，主要還是在大外宣，以及對內安撫不滿美國眾議院議長裴洛西來台的聲浪。

國防院中共政軍與作戰概念研究所副研究員舒孝煌指出：「就是有對內跟對外的效果，想要對台灣造成民眾恐慌，然後內部社會不安的一種認知戰。」

我軍也將在8月9日舉行反登陸射擊「天雷操演」，雖然這早在7月22日就已經公布，不過各界仍聯想有反制中國軍演意味。