▲ Chinese military naval gun firing drill
As China conducted live-fire drills in parts of the Taiwan Strait for the second consecutive day, Taiwan strongly protested, demanding an immediate halt to military provocations.
According to Taiwanese media outlets such as the Liberty Times on the 24th local time, the Zhangzhou Maritime Safety Administration in China's Fujian Province announced via its website on the 22nd that live-fire drills would be conducted in certain waters of the Taiwan Strait from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the 23rd and 24th.
It added that vessels were prohibited from entering the designated waters.
China did not disclose specific details such as the exact content and purpose of the drills.
The waters designated by China as the drill zone are located near Dongshan Island in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, a mainland area close to Taiwan.
The Liberty Times reported that the site is located approximately 106 kilometers from Taiwan's Kinmen Islands, about 191 kilometers from the Penghu Islands, and about 102 kilometers west of the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
In a statement, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized China, saying, "China is ignoring international practices, undermining regional security and stability, and threatening the navigational safety of aircraft and vessels," and urged, "It must immediately cease military provocations and gray-zone intrusion tactics."
The ministry continued, "As a responsible member of the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has strived to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region. In contrast, China is the culprit escalating regional tensions through military threats."
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry also urged the international community to condemn China's unilateral attempts to alter the status quo and its actions threatening regional security.
The Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's government agency handling mainland China affairs, stated that while the impact of the drills on Taiwan has been limited so far, the Ministry of National Defense and the Coast Guard Administration under the Ocean Affairs Council are closely monitoring related developments.
(Photo: Screengrab from Chinese military's Southern Theater Command WeChat account, Yonhap News)
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