The naval soldiers of People's Liberation Army, who were conducting a combat readiness patrol mission in the waters around Taiwan on Wednesday, sent Lantern Festival greetings to a nearby Taiwan warship, according to a report aired by China Media Group on Wednesday.

From Chinese New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival, a 16-day period, frontline forces of the PLA Eastern Theater Command have maintained a state of combat readiness at all times, frequently dispatching naval and air forces to conduct combat readiness patrols and training missions around Taiwan island, the report said.

READ MORE: To safeguard peace in South China Sea, regional countries must be in the driver's seat

On the Lantern Festival, which falls on Wednesday, the CNS Huaibei, on a combat readiness patrol mission in the waters around Taiwan, organized a live-fire confrontation exercise.

In the report, Li Zhaodong, a soldier of the CNS Huaibei, said: "While carrying out combat readiness patrol missions, we always maintain a state of full readiness ... The weapon systems are also in a launch-ready state, ready to be fired at any time."

READ MORE: PLA Air Force conducts routine patrol over Huangyan Dao

In the video footage of the report, a soldier from the CNS Huaibei was seen calling the warship Yi Yang from Taiwan through a communication channel.

The soldier said: "The Lantern Festival is a traditional festival for Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. On this festive occasion, we wish you and your families a happy Lantern Festival."

ALSO READ: PLA tracks US warships transiting Taiwan Strait

The report also noted that at an Eastern Theater Command Air Force station, multiple batches of J-10C fighter jets took off to conduct patrol missions in the airspace around Taiwan.

Around midnight, several H-6K bombers took off successively to carry out day-and-night flight missions.