PLA's Taiwan drills to continue until provocations stop

As long as the "Taiwan independence" provocations continue, the People's Liberation Army's actions to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity will not stop, a Chinese mainland spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing when asked whether large-scale military drills around the island will become a regular occurrence in the future.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command conducted two-day joint military exercises, code-named Joint Sword-2024A, in the Taiwan Strait last week and to the north, south and east of Taiwan, as well as areas around the islands of Jinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin, which are located in the Taiwan Strait.

Zhu said the PLA's exercise was a resolute response to provocations by the leader of the Taiwan region in his speech aimed at seeking "independence".

It also served as a stern warning to external forces that condone and support "Taiwan independence" and interfere in China's internal affairs, which was a just action to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, she said.

"As long as provocations toward 'independence' continue, the actions of the PLA in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity will not cease," she added.