China stages live-fire drills for ‘sealing off' Taiwan
China has kicked off a third day of live-fire drills near Taiwan in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s recent trip to the United States.
Chinese fighter jets carried out 'simulated strikes' near the self-governed island during the exercises, which also included the Shandong aircraft carrier, the Chinese military said on Monday.
'Multiple batches of H-6K fighters carrying live ammunition … carried out multiple waves of simulated strikes on important targets on Taiwan Island,' the Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement.
Taiwan's defence ministry said it had detected 70 Chinese military aircraft and 11 vessels around Taiwan.
The ministry said 35 of the detected aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the territory’s air defence identification zone.
The three-day operation dubbed 'Joint Sword', which kicked off on Saturday, is intended to rehearse an encirclement of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and has threatened to take by force if necessary.
Taiwan's government has condemned the exercises, while the United States has urged China to show restraint.
.png "Advertisement")
