Photo: PLA Eastern Theater Command

Following "Shield of Justice, Smashing Illusion" and "Arrow of Justice, Control and Denial," the PLA Eastern Theater Command on Tuesday released its third theme poster titled "Justice Hammer, Blockade and Disruption." It depicts two sledgehammers striking hard at southern and northern parts of Taiwan island, symbolizing "smashing the head and severing the tail." The upper hammer smashes the separatist ideology of reactionary elements in Taiwan who seek "Taiwan independence," while the lower hammer crushes a die-hard "Taiwan independence" separatist holding the badge of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as well as Taiwan military soldier armed with a Stinger missile.

A military affairs expert said that geographically, the two hammer blows target the waters off Kaohsiung and Keelung respectively - key ports and sea routes for both resupply and escape on Taiwan island. Once cut off, chaos will quickly ensue on the island. These two areas are therefore designated as key zones for the current military operations, and the core intent of the military operations speaks for itself.

The theme posters released by the Eastern Theater Command have drawn intense attention from netizens both on and off Taiwan island. Some netizens have noticed a telling detail: the two hands wielding the hammers are both printed with the national flag of China, which echoes "Coming Home," the dynamic poster released by the Eastern Theater Command in 2024. The military affairs expert said that these mighty hands can either "hold your hand to bring you home" or "strike hard with a heavy hammer". It is a clear message that if Taiwan fails to heed the motherland's goodwill and allows  separatists to seek "independence" by force and split the country, they will inevitably meet their utter ruin.