PLA troops facing Taiwan Strait and Japan simulate response to nuclear attack

The People’s Liberation Army division responsible for the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait carried out a decontamination exercise amid targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States and Israel.

A recent training exercise at an Eastern Theatre Command naval base included an emergency response to a simulated nuclear attack, according to a report on Tuesday by state broadcaster CCTV, which did not specify the time or location of the drill.

The state broadcaster’s report on Tuesday of the nuclear response simulation did not specify the timing or the location of the military exercise. Photo: CCTV

The exercise focused on rapid detection and decontamination within zones designated as contaminated to “comprehensively hone the troops’ ability and operational readiness to respond to emergencies in complex battlefield environments”, the report said.

The Eastern Theatre Command is in charge of defence of the eastern Chinese provinces and oversees the direction of Taiwan and the East China Sea opposite Japan.

The reporting on the drill came at a time of global concerns that the US and Israel have targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, including a strike last week that landed only 75 metres (246 feet) from the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

The international nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, warned of the risk of “a severe radiological accident” if the operational plant were damaged, with its chief, Rafael Grossi, stressing in a statement that nuclear power plant sites and surrounding areas “should never be struck”.

Meanwhile, the tension between China and Japan continues to simmer over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in November that Japan might militarily intervene in a Taiwan Strait conflict.

South China Morning Post