The Joint Sword-2024 ( zh, 联合利剑2024) was a military exercise organized by the

Eastern Theater Command The Eastern Theater Command () is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), founded 1 February 2016. It replaced the Nanjing Military Region. The command is headquartered in Nanjing. Its jurisdiction includes Jia ...

of the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

(PLA) to organize the land, sea, air, and rocket forces of the theatre of operations in the vicinity of

Kinmen Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), only east from the city of Xiamen in Fujian, located at the southeastern coast of the People's Republic of China, from wh ...

Matsu Islands The Matsu Islands; Foochow Romanized: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤ ( or ), officially Lienchiang County; Foochow Romanized: Lièng-gŏng-gâing (), are an archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea governed by the Republic of China ...

, and the

Island of Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The island of Taiwan, formerly known to Westerners as Formosa, has an area of and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about across the Taiwan Strait f ...

. The Eastern Theater Command of Operations conducted the initial round of military drills from May 23 to May 24, 2024, Beijing time. The second round was conducted from October 14 to 15, 2024, Beijing time.

Operations

Joint Sword-2024A (联合利剑—2024A)

The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command initiated joint exercises and training in the Taiwan Strait, the northern, southern, and eastern regions of the island of Taiwan, as well as the areas surrounding

, Wuqiu Island, and

Dongyin Island Dongyin Township (Tungyin) ( zh, c=, p=Dōngyǐn Xiāng, w=Tung1-yin3 Hsiang1; Foochow Romanized: Dĕ̤ng-īng-hiŏng) is an insular Township (Taiwan), rural township which is part of Lienchiang County (the Matsu Islands), Fujian Province, Repub ...

, at 0745 hours on May 23, 2024. After the Joint Operations Command Center of the Eastern Theatre issued operational instructions, the

East Sea Fleet The Eastern Theater Command Navy (东部战区海军, ETCN) is a formation of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the naval component of the Eastern Theater Command. The ETCN was reorganized from the East Sea Fleet (ESF) by 2016. C ...

's numerous frigate formations maneuvered at high velocities in multiple directions to the waters surrounding the island of Taiwan. The ships initiated combat deployment upon their scheduled arrival at the designated sea area. The Eastern Theater Command Air Force conducted systematic war patrols around Taiwan and the outer islands by deploying dozens of fighter aircraft. The

People's Liberation Army Rocket Force The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, formerly the Second Artillery Corps, is the strategic missile, strategic and tactical missile force of the People's Republic of China. The PLARF is the 4th military branch, branch of the People's Li ...

provided support and cover for multi-model formations, which were fully loaded with live ammunition, as they flew to predetermined airspace to establish a number of strike positions. On May 23, Li Xi, the spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command, stated that the separatist forces seeking "uniqueness" are "Taiwan independence" and are demonstrating strong discipline. He also issued a serious warning to external forces that are interfering with provocations. Li Xi then disclosed the use of weapons and equipment, including

Chengdu J-20 The Chengdu J-20 (), also known as Mighty Dragon (, NATO reporting name: Fagin), is a twinjet, twin-engine Night fighter, all-weather Stealth aircraft, stealth fighter developed by China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation for the People's Liberatio ...

Shenyang J-16 The Shenyang J-16 (; NATO reporting name: Flanker-N) also known as Qianlong is a Chinese all-weather 4.5 generation, tandem-seat, twin-engine, multirole strike fighterBronk, page 38 built by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and operated by the P ...

Type 052C destroyer The Type 052C destroyer (NATO/ OSD Luyang II-class destroyer) is a class of guided-missile destroyers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force (PLAN). The Type 052C introduced both fixed active electronically scanned array (AE ...

Type 071 amphibious transport dock The Type 071 (NATO reporting name: Yuzhao) is a class of Chinese amphibious transport dock ships in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The Type 071 provides the PLAN with capabilities and flexibility not found in its prev ...

, Dongfeng series missiles, and box-type long-range rockets.

Joint Sword-2024B (联合利剑—2024B)

On October 14, the Eastern Theater Command of the

(PLA) coordinated with the

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare military branch, branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national military of the People's Republic of China. It i ...

(PLAN),

People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also referred to as the Chinese Air Force () or the People's Air Force (), is the primary aerial warfare service of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAAF controls most of the PLA's air assets, includi ...

(PLAAF),

(PLARF) and

Chinese Coast Guard The China Coast Guard (CCG) () is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the People's Armed Police (PAP) of China. The Coast Guard is an armed gendarmerie force (of corps grade), and its cutters are ...

to conduct "Joint Sword-2024B" maneuvers in the

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a strait separating the island of Taiwan and the Asian continent. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. Names Former names of the Tai ...

, as well six marked areas in the waters north, south, and east of the island of Taiwan, effectively surrounding Taiwan during the drills. According to Li Xi, a spokesman for the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command, the different branches of the Chinese military focused the exercises on sea-air combat-readiness patrols, blockades on key ports and areas, assaults on maritime and ground targets and joint seizure of comprehensive superiority. During the operation, the Chinese Coast Guard sent four fleets of ships to conduct "law enforcement inspections" around Taiwan, and carried out "comprehensive law enforcement patrols" in waters surrounding the Dongyin and

. The Chinese military described the exercises as a “stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan Independence forces.”

Reactions

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

(Taiwan): The Defense Ministry strongly condemned the Chinese exercises, stating that they were “irrational and provocative” and vowing to deploy “appropriate forces” to respond in order to defend its sovereignty. *

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

: China's military called the exercises a “stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan Independence forces.” *

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

: The United States expressed that it was "seriously concerned" by the exercises, with the State Department stating that "The PRC response with military provocations to a routine annual speech is unwarranted and risks escalation," additionally urging China to "act with restraint" and avoid any further actions which may "undermine peace and stability" in the region.

References

{{Cross-Strait relations Cross-strait conflict Taiwan under Republic of China rule Military exercises involving China Military history of Taiwan 2024 in international relations 2024 in military history 2024 in Taiwan May 2024 in China October 2024 in China Eastern Theater Command 21st-century military history of China Xi Jinping Presidency of Lai Ching-te