China began a two-day live-fire military exercise in parts of the Taiwan Strait starting 24 July, announcing the closure of waters near Dongshan Island in Fujian Province, prohibiting all types of vessels from entering the area. Meanwhile, Taiwan reported detecting more than 20 Chinese warplanes crossing the median line of the strait, just one day after high-level discussions between U.S. and Chinese foreign ministers.
Chinese authorities commenced a two-day live-fire military drill starting Thursday, 24 July, in parts of the Taiwan Strait near the southeastern coast of Fujian Province.
The Zhangzhou Maritime Safety Office issued a navigation warning stating that certain sea areas near Dongshan Island would be closed to all vessels from 06:00 to 18:00 on 24 and 25 July due to live-fire exercises.
Dongshan Island is located in southern Fujian Province, near the border with Guangdong Province, and is close to the Taiwan Strait, one of the region's key shipping routes.
This military drill took place just one day after talks between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, which covered several critical issues including the situation in Taiwan.
China continues to assert that Taiwan is part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve reunification, while Taiwan's democratically self-governing administration consistently rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense revealed that between 06:00 on 23 July and 06:00 on 24 July, Taiwan's military detected 21 Chinese military flights, 6 warships, and 2 government vessels operating near Taiwan. Of these, at least 20 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line into airspace to the north and southwest of the island.
Taiwan's Air Force reported sending radio warnings to Chinese aircraft at least twice after detecting movements of Chinese aircraft and helicopters operating from ships near Taiwan's southwest and southeast areas.
Additionally, China announced a rocket launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on the same day, with its flight path directed toward the western Pacific Ocean.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense stated that the rocket's trajectory passed through Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), though it did not disclose further details about the mission.
Earlier, it was reported that the U.S. Navy survey ship USNS Henson conducted operations in waters southwest of Qimei Island in the Penghu archipelago on 22 July evening. Chinese coast guard closely monitored the vessel, while Taiwanese naval and coast guard forces maintained constant surveillance of the situation.
In December last year, China conducted its largest military drills around Taiwan following the U.S. announcement of an $11.1 billion arms sales package to Taiwan, marking a record high amount.
During that exercise, China's Eastern Theater Command fired multiple missiles into the sea both north and south of Taiwan during live-fire drills that lasted more than 10 hours.
Analysts view the latest drills as reflecting intensified strategic competition between China and the United States, potentially increasing concerns over security stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is considered one of the world's most critical geopolitical flashpoints today.
SourceReuters/DimSum Daily