Taiwan's military carries out offshore live-fire exercise

Taiwan's military conducted live-fire drills off the island's coast, with the armed forces making the announcement on Thursday amid rising tensions with China, News.az reports citing Anadolu agency.

The drills were held Wednesday night off Penghu County, a group of smaller islands in the Taiwan Strait, as part of a monthly exercise by the military.

According to the Taiwanese military, the Penghu Defense Command deployed tanks and artillery systems from 10 p.m. local time (1400GMT) until midnight (1600GMT) in a “simulation of a nighttime invasion by enemy forces.”

The drills followed Taipei's claim that China deployed its largest naval presence to date in waters around Taiwan last week. Beijing has not confirmed whether its forces were holding drills during that time.

On the Penghu County exercises, the Taiwanese military said they were “aimed at testing the troops' ability to execute orders during wartime and ensure combat preparedness at any time.”

This was second such drill by the Penghu Defense Command after it conducted its first live-fire nighttime drill in late October, involving aerial, naval, and land simulations.

Separately, Taiwan said it detected 10 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels operating around the island early Thursday.

China considers Taiwan as its “breakaway province” but Taipei has insisted on its independence since 1949 while number of its diplomatic allies has tumbled to 12 this year.

News.Az