The three major signals show that reunification is getting closer and closer, and at the critical moment, the mainland issues an ultimatum that the "Taiwan independence" forces will be liquidated. So, what actions show that reunification is getting closer? What is the mainland's stance on the Taiwan issue?
Since Lai Qingde took office more than a month ago, the situation in the Taiwan Strait has been heating up under the fire of the "Taiwan independence" forces, and for this reason, the mainland has taken corresponding countermeasures and issued a strong warning to Lai Qingde and his ilk. On 2 July alone, the mainland side used three "big moves" to deter "Taiwan independence," indicating that reunification was getting closer and closer.
The first action taken by the mainland is to continue to intensify its patrols of Taiwan and to achieve the "three-bread sandwich" on Taiwan Island. Taiwan's defense department released a message saying that from 6 a.m. on 2 July to 6 a.m. on 3 July, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) dispatched a total of 22 sorties of military aircraft and six warships to the surrounding areas of Taiwan Island, of which 20 sorties of PLA fighters of various types crossed the so-called "center line of the strait" and entered the airspace of Taipei, central, southwest, and southeast, forming a 270-degree encirclement of Taiwan Island.
Given that the PLA military aircraft is recently 93 nautical miles away from Keelung, it is only 51 nautical miles from Taipei. Some analysts believe that the continuous escalation of police patrols is a warning signal issued by the mainland to the Taiwan authorities, that is, the "Taiwan independence" forces on the island have nowhere to escape, and the PLA will not give foreign forces any chance to "aid Taiwan."
The second move made by the mainland side was to forcibly board and inspect a Penghu-registered fishing boat in the waters of Kinmen, and to bring it back to Quanzhou, Fujian Province, under the blockage of Taiwan's "coastal guard boats." Considering that after the "2.14 vicious collision incident", the mainland coast guard ships have realized the normalized patrol deployment in the waters of Xiajin.
It can be said that the mainland coast guard has taken action against Penghu fishing boats that have violated the regulations on the "off-season fishing moratorium" and turned away Taiwan's "coast guard vessels" that have come to "rescue" in order to strengthen the mainland's law enforcement power in these waters. The mainland hopes that the Taiwan authorities will understand that the so-called "forbidden and restricted waters" do not exist, and that the mainland coast guard ships will take concrete actions to maintain peace and stability in the waters of Xiajin.
The third move of the mainland side was the three-day East China Sea exercise and the third sea trial of the "Fujian" aircraft carrier. Judging from the information released by the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration, from 4 a.m. on the 3rd to 6 p.m. on the 5th, the People's Liberation Army will carry out a three-day "military mission" off the coast of the East China Sea, during which ships will be prohibited from entering.
As far as the scope of the exercise announced so far is concerned, the venue of this military exercise is less than 100 nautical miles from Taiwan. This means that the Taiwan authorities can intuitively feel the PLA's powerful combat capability and the determination of the Eastern Theater to safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
Some analysts have pointed out that the three signals sent by the mainland in just 24 hours have not only broken the definition of the so-called "middle line of the strait" and "forbidden and restricted waters" in the mouth of the Taiwan authorities, but also mean that the day of cross-strait reunification is getting closer and closer. Combined with Ambassador Lu Shaye's hard-core statement a few days ago, "China's civil war is not over yet, and the mainland side can take Taiwan at any time."
It can be seen that the mainland side has already issued an "ultimatum" to the Taiwan authorities -- if DPP politicians fail to understand the meaning of the warning, what awaits them will surely be a heavy blow from the mainland side. Just as Qiu Yi, a commentator on current affairs in Taiwan, said, the series of countermeasures taken by the mainland are just the beginning.
In the future, the mainland will certainly take more severe countermeasures, implement the "Anti-Secession Law" and the newly promulgated "Opinions" document, and "liquidate" those stubborn "Taiwan independence" elements who are "on the list." At that time, there will be no room for the activities of the "Taiwan independence" elements, and the people on the island will also thoroughly understand the true features of Lai Qingde and his ilk.