A week after large-scale air and naval exercises, China has again conducted live-fire drills near Taiwan.
This was reported by the Associated Press.
According to the Maritime Security Administration of China, live-fire exercises were held near the Pingtan Islands off the coast of Fujian province from 9am to 1pm.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence said that the Chinese drills are part of an annual exercise and it is monitoring them.
‘It cannot be ruled out that this is one of the ways to expand the deterrent effect in accordance with the dynamics in the Taiwan Strait,’ the ministry said in a statement.
In response to China’s actions, the United States continues to transit shipping through the Taiwan Strait, which it calls ‘freedom of navigation.’ On Sunday, the US destroyer USS Higgins and the Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver passed through the narrow strip of ocean separating China and Taiwan.