A woman walks past a Taiwanese national flag at Maritime Plaza in Keelung on October 22, 2024. Agence France-Presse
BEIJING 鈥� China鈥檚 military began a live-fire exercise near Taiwan on Tuesday, maintaining pressure on the self-ruled island after staging large-scale drills and President Xi Jinping called for troops to prepare for war.
China鈥檚 Communist Party has never ruled the island, but it claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will not renounce the use of force to bring it under its control.
This month it sent planes and warships around the island in what Beijing said was a 鈥渟tern warning to the separatist acts of 鈥楾aiwan Independence鈥� forces鈥�.
READ:
On Monday, the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) in the eastern island of Pingtan announced that 鈥済un firing鈥� would take place in a limited area close to the Chinese mainland, about 105 kilometers (66 miles) from Taiwan.
The MSA said they would start at 9:00 am local time (0100 GMT) and take place for four hours in an area encompassing about 150 square kilometers (60 square miles).
Pingtan is the closest point in mainland China to Taiwan鈥檚 main island.
Maritime authorities did not say which Chinese force would carry out the live firing, or its objective.
READ: China toughens Taiwan stance over president鈥檚 sovereignty defense
In response to the drills, Taiwan鈥檚 defense ministry said it was closely monitoring China鈥檚 鈥渕ilitary activities and intentions鈥�.
Taipei said the exercises could be part of Beijing鈥檚 鈥渢actics to bolster its intimidation in conjunction with the dynamics in the Taiwan Strait鈥�.
Premier Cho Jung-tai described them as a 鈥渢hreat that undermines regional peace and stability鈥�.
Passing ships
Over the weekend, a US and a Canadian warship passed through the 180-kilometer Taiwan Strait, part of regular passages by Washington and its allies meant to reinforce its status as an international waterway.
Beijing condemned the passage as disrupting 鈥減eace and stability鈥� in the strait.
China sent a record number of military aircraft as well as warships and coast guard vessels to encircle Taiwan on October 14 in the fourth round of major drills in just over two years in the area.
Taiwan deployed forces and put outlying islands on heightened alert in response to the exercises.
Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taipei in recent years, deploying on a near-daily basis warplanes and other military aircraft as well as ships around the island.
Following its 鈥淛oint Sword-2024B鈥� exercises, its army vowed never to renounce the use of force to retake the island.
In a visit to a brigade of the Chinese military鈥檚 Rocket Force in the wake of those drills, President Xi urged them to strengthen their preparedness for war, state media said.