Live-fire training conducted in China and Taiwan
live fire training
Monday’s training includes live-fire training on the rocky coast of China’s Fujian province, about 80 kilometers south of the Matsu Islands and 190 kilometers from Taipei.
Local maritime authorities said the exercise will be held between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. (7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Singapore time) around Pingtan, China’s closest southeastern island to Taiwan.
“These operations serve as a solemn warning against collusion between separatist forces seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ and external forces and their provocative activities,” said PLA spokesman Shi Yin of “Joint Sword.”
AFP reporters in Pingtan saw no immediate military activity in the offshore area on Monday.
Monday morning a few fishing boats and small freighters were near the shore.
It was impossible to identify the identities of some of the more distant ships, and much of the blocked area was not visible from the shoreline.
Taipei’s defense ministry said on Sunday it had spotted 11 Chinese warships and 70 aircraft near Taiwan.
Figures maintained by AFP said 45 planes crossed the central line separating Taiwan from mainland China on Saturday.
About 150 Chinese ships or aircraft were detected over the weekend, including fighter jets, drones, bombers and transports, according to the Ministry of Defense.
In August of last year, China deployed warships, missiles and warplanes around Taiwan in its biggest show of force in years after McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, visited the island.
