As the U.S. and its allies practice in the Western Pacific, China began military operations in the East China Sea north of Taiwan on Tuesday, including warship live-fire drills.
China performs exercises along its coast, but those near Chinese-claimed Taiwan are especially notable.
China’s Maritime Safety Administration designated a no-sail zone outside Taizhou city in Zhejiang province from late morning to mid-afternoon on Tuesday for battleship live fire training.
It claimed further drills in the same location would last till late Tuesday evening.
The Dachen islands, which Taiwan ruled until 1955, are near the drills.
Taiwan controls Matsu and Kinmen islands off Fujian province after the defeated Republic of China government retreated to Taipei after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong’s communists.
The marine safety office said China will conduct separate exercises in the northern East China Sea until late Wednesday afternoon.
China’s East China Sea operations coincide with a US-Japan-Canada-France quadrilateral naval exercise in the Philippine Sea that began Friday.
The U.S. 7th Fleet announced two carrier strike groups led by USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan would operate together for the first time since June 2020.
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