A fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Southern Theatre Command takes off during a round-the-clock flight training exercise in late June, 2023. Photo: China Military

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has reportedly ramped up military exercise around the island of Taiwan after the US approved a latest round of potential arms sales to the island on Thursday, with experts saying on Sunday that the PLA is fully capable of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests.

The defense authority on the island of Taiwan said on Saturday that it detected 26 PLA aircraft and seven PLA vessels around the island of Taiwan over the past day, with 12 of the aircraft, including fighter jets, bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, crossing the so-called Taiwan Straits median line or the island's self-proclaimed southwest air defense identification zone, media on the island reported.

Coming after the Biden administration's approval of two potential arms sales totaling $440 million to the island of Taiwan announced on Thursday, the intensity of PLA activities around the island was well above the PLA's daily average, observers said.

The US arms sales includes 30mm ammunition and related equipment as well as spare and repair parts for vehicles and weapons, CNN reported on Friday.

Having to rely on imported munitions and spare parts from the US laid bare the island's lack of independent stockpiles and maintenance capabilities, Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday.

It exposed that the island of Taiwan has no capability to resist reunification by force, Song further noted.

Since the island of Taiwan is isolated in the ocean and is close to the Chinese mainland, it is almost impossible for the US to send supplies to the island when a potential conflict breaks out, observers said.

The exercises by PLA aircraft and vessels around the island of Taiwan have demonstrated the PLA's capabilities in blockading the island and deny external interference forces, experts said.

On Friday, Japan's Defense Ministry said in a press release that it spotted a PLA flotilla led by the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Guangxi when it sailed from the East China Sea through the Osumi Strait into the West Pacific waters south of Japan from Thursday to Friday.

Characterized by strong multidimensional amphibious landing capabilities and capable of carrying dozens of helicopters in addition to landing craft and amphibious armored vehicles, the Type 075 is widely seen by analysts to have a significant role to play in resolving the Taiwan question.

Song said that the Type 075's exercise is not aimed at a third party, but it serves to safeguard national sovereignty and security.