Taiwan Begins Military Drills, China Plans Five-Sea Live-Fires

Taiwan is monitoring Chinese live-fire drills announced for five maritime areas spanning the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas, although none of the designated zones is around Taiwan. Defense Minister Wellington Koo said Taiwan’s initial assessment was that the activity involved coastal artillery and posed a relatively low threat to nearby waters, but he condemned China’s repeated military activity and said the military would remain vigilant. The drills follow Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s National Day remarks defending Taiwan’s freedom, which Beijing criticized, and come as U.S. and Japanese forces prepare for their Keen Sword exercise. Separately, Taiwan is conducting its own tactical exercises in Hsinchu and Miaoli, testing Abrams tanks, drones, communications systems and combined-arms operations in scenarios intended to prepare for a potential cross-strait conflict.