China’s defence ministry said on Thursday that drills which had alarmed Taiwan off its coast were “routine” and the island should stop complaining, as Taipei reported a surge in Chinese military activity, although no live-fire exercises.
Democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, said on Wednesday the Chinese military had set up a zone for “shooting” drills in the southwestern part of the Taiwan Strait, off the key areas of Kaohsiung and Pingtung.
Taiwan condemned the move as dangerous, provocative and a threat to commercial flights and shipping, adding that it was given no prior notice.
At a regular news briefing in Beijing, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said Taiwan was seeking attention.
“The relevant Taiwan authorities’ comments on the People’s Liberation Army’s routine exercises are hype, and we require them to stop playing tricks for more attention,” he said, without elaborating.
In its daily morning update of Chinese military activities in the prior 24 hours, Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had detected 45 Chinese military aircraft and 14 navy ships operating around the island. They included seven ships in the Chinese-declared drill zone, 40 nautical miles off Taiwan.
In an accompanying map, the ministry showed the location of the drill zone, which it said was 70 nautical miles long and 20 nautical miles wide, though well outside of Taiwan’s territorial waters.
NO LIVE FIRE DETECTED
Taiwan did not detect any live-fire shooting in China’s “drill zone” and there was no further escalation of military tensions, however, two senior Taiwan officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the situation.
They said the Chinese move was very similar to its other recent military activity in the region, such as in the South China Sea and that off Australia’s coast, during which its navy did not give adequate notice of exercises.
