The navy and air force of the Chinese People's Liberation　Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command joined the coast guard in a cross-regional, multi-course, round-the-clock realistic combat exercise in the spring of 2024. Photo: Screenshot from WeChat account of the PLA Navy

The navy and air force of the Chinese People's  Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command recently joined the China Coast Guard (CCG) and held a series of combat exercises across several maritime regions amid tensions in the Taiwan Straits, a move experts said on Monday will contribute to the safeguarding of national sovereignty, territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability in the region.

A task force attached to a frigate detachment affiliated with the navy of the PLA Eastern Theater Command recently conducted a cross-regional, multi-course, round-the-clock realistic combat exercise in collaboration with the air force and the coast guard, the PLA Navy said in a press release on Monday.

Type 056A corvettes, the PLANS (People's Liberation Army Navy Ship) Ezhou, and the PLANS Yiwu, the CCG Ship 11506 and an air force fighter jet were parts of the exercise, according to the press release and photos provided.

During the exercise, the naval vessels simulated air defense using main guns and close-in weapons systems against incoming missiles before the PLANS Ezhou intercepted the hostile aircraft, while the PLANS Yiwu was then tasked with the mission to clear sea mines, the press release said.

The corvettes then held joint training sessions with the CCG simulating emergencies such as violent resistance against law enforcement, the PLA Navy said in its release.

Focused on the joint operation among the naval task force, the air force and the coast guard, the exercise amplified emergency scenarios to the strictest and the most difficult settings, and effectively enhanced the forces' interoperability and joint strike capabilities, the PLA Navy said.

The cross-service exercise under the Eastern Theater Command came at a time when the CCG has been boosting its law enforcement patrols in the waters near Kinmen after the fatal February 14 boat incident, in addition to the Democratic Progressive Party authorities' continued "Taiwan independence" attempts and collusions with the US, observers said.

Tasked with law enforcement missions, the CCG plays a special role in safeguarding territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, as well as the lives and properties of fishermen from both sides of the Taiwan Straits, and the latest joint exercise showed that in emergencies, the CCG will be backed by the PLA, a Beijing-based military expert who requested for anonymity told the Global Times on Monday.

Since the military reform, the PLA has stressed joint operation, and the same goes for the People's Armed Police and the CCG, the expert said.

The PLA and the CCG's display of their capability to conduct joint operations is conducive to the safeguarding of national sovereignty, security, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, the experts said.