China begins 2 days of live-fire drills in Taiwan Strait
A Navy miniature is seen in front of displayed Chinese and Taiwanese flags in this illustration taken, April 11, 2023.
PHOTO: Reuters file
BEIJING — China began two days of live-fire drills from Thursday (July 23) in some parts of the Taiwan Strait near the shores of its southeastern province of Fujian.
The news comes a day after talks between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a range of issues, including democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.
The drills will run from 6am to 6pm (10pm Singapore time to 10am Singapore time) each day around Dongshan Island, bordering the province of Guangdong, maritime authorities said in a notice.
China held its most extensive war games encircling Taiwan in December, after the United States unveiled a record US$11.1 billion (S$14.3 billion) arms package for the island, whose government rejects China's sovereignty claim.
During 10 hours of live-fire exercises at the time, China's Eastern Theatre Command launched rockets into waters north and south of Taiwan.
[[nid:739963]]