PLA Naval Forces Exchange Lantern Festival Greetings Amid Combat Readiness Patrols Near Taiwan

Chinese naval forces from the People's Liberation Army, while conducting combat readiness patrols near Taiwan, took a moment during the Lantern Festival to send well-wishes to a nearby Taiwan warship. The soldiers engaged in live-fire exercises as part of their continuous training mission, and during this period of heightened alert from Chinese New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival, they ensured that all weapon systems remained ready for immediate deployment.

Throughout this festive yet tense period, the Eastern Theater Command maintained a rigorous state of preparedness. Naval and air forces were frequently dispatched around the Taiwan area to conduct various patrols and training missions aimed at preserving combat readiness. In one notable instance, a soldier from the CNS Huaibei communicated directly with a Taiwanese warship, conveying traditional greetings as a nod to shared cultural roots across the Taiwan Strait.

Further emphasizing the military's vigilant posture, multiple batches of J-10C fighter jets were seen taking off from an Eastern Theater Command Air Force station to secure the airspace over Taiwan. Additionally, several H-6K bombers executed round-the-clock flight missions, underscoring the comprehensive nature of the patrol operations during the Lantern Festival period.