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Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence announced Thursday that it is closely monitoring large-scale military drills conducted by the People's Liberation Army in the East China Sea, which are scheduled to run until Friday, Taiwan News.
The exercises, which involve sea trials of new weapons, have prompted navigation warnings and airspace restrictions in the region. The Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigation warning on July 2 for specified coordinates at the Qiantang River estuary. It said from 4 am on Wednesday (July 3) to 6 pm on Friday (July 5), live-fire "military exercises" would be carried out and entry is prohibited during this period, as per Taiwan News. Vietnamese journalist Duan Dong on X described the exercises as "large-scale." He pointed out that the southernmost point of the prohibited zone is less than 100 nautical miles (185 km) from northwest Taiwan. Further, the MND said that it was monitoring the exercises and sea trials of new weapons. According to Taiwan News, the ministry noted that China issued airspace restrictions on Thursday to facilitate the Eastern Theatre Command's annual live-fire drills. Former Taiwan Navy captain Lu Li-shih revealed on Facebook on July 1 that China's Fujian aircraft carrier is set to undergo its third round of sea trials. Citing a notice from the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, Lu indicated that the focus of these exercises will be addressing the shortcomings identified during the previous trial and practicing dual-ship operations with the Type 901 fast combat support ship, Hulunhu (965)." As for whether the carrier-based aircraft will practice landing, Lu said, similar to the Shandong aircraft carrier in the past, it will first perform "touch and go" maneuvers, with actual landings likely scheduled for the next phase. Touch-and-go maneuvers involve aircraft briefly landing on the carrier deck before taking off again without coming to a full stop. Earlier in the day, The MND reported that it had detected 30 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels around Taiwan. Of the 30 aircraft, 19 had crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered the northern, southwestern, and southeastern portions of the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ). This latest incident adds to a series of similar provocations by China in recent months. China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) and military exercises near the island.Taiwan has been governed independently of China since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary. (ANI)
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