ISTANBUL

Chinese military will “push up countermeasures, until the complete reunification of the country is realized,” the Defense Ministry said Friday, state media reported.

The joint military operation by army, naval, air and rocket forces of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “is aimed at suppressing the arrogance of Taiwan independence secessionist forces and deterring the interference and intervention of external forces,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian.

“How to solve the Taiwan question is up to 1.4 billion Chinese people,” Wu said, adding the Chinese military “will safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity with practical actions.”

Code-named Joint Sword-2024A, the PLA has launched mass military exercises since Thursday triggering calls for “restraint” from Taipei which saw the transition to a new administration earlier this week when William Lai Cheng-te was inaugurated as president.

Lai visited Taiwanese troops Thursday at a northern military base after China began the PLA drills around the island nation, home to around 24 million people.

He vowed to defend Taiwan but Beijing warned those seeking independence from China of seeing themselves being “crushed.”

“Every time the ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist forces provoke, the PLA will push up countermeasures, until the complete reunification of the country is realized,” said Wu, spokesman of China’s defense ministry.

He said the joint drills around Taiwan island were “to test the troops' combat capability in joint operations” which are “completely rightful, legitimate, and necessary.”