China begins two-day live-fire drills in Taiwan Strait

BEIJING, July 23 (YPA) – China began two days of live-fire military drills in designated areas of the Taiwan Strait off the coast of Fujian on Thursday.

Chinese maritime authorities announced that the exercises are being conducted daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time in the vicinity of Dongshan Island, near the Guangdong border.

The drills came after a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his US counterpart Marco Rubio, during which the Taiwan issue was among the topics discussed.

Beijing reiterates its commitment to the “One China” principle, considers Taiwan part of its territory, and rejects any foreign military support or arms deals for the island.

It is worth noting that last December, China conducted large-scale drills around Taiwan, including missile launches from the Eastern Front Command toward maritime areas north and south of the island, and the drills lasted for about 10 hours and were in response to Washington’s announcement of an $11.1 billion arms package for Taipei.

Suggested Title

China conducts two days of live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait after meeting with Washington