China launches 2-day live-fire drills in Taiwan Strait
File photo: REUTERS
China initiated a two-day series of live-fire military exercises in segments of the Taiwan Strait starting Thursday morning.
These drills take place near the coastline of Fujian, a southeastern Chinese province. The commencement of these maneuvers follows only one day after high-level discussions between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
During their meeting, the two diplomats addressed several topics, including the status of democratically governed Taiwan, which China continues to claim as its own sovereign territory.
Maritime authorities specified in a public notice that the exercises will run from 6 am to 6 pm each day, centered around Dongshan Island near the border of Guangdong province. This latest display of military strength follows China’s execution of its most comprehensive war games surrounding the island last December.
Those previous actions served as a response to the US unveiling a historic $ 11.1 billion arms package intended for Taiwan.
While the Taiwanese government rejects Beijing’s claims of sovereignty, China’s Eastern Theatre Command previously demonstrated its capabilities by launching rockets into the waters both north and south of the island during ten hours of live-fire drills at that time.
Source: Reuters (adapted)
