China Conducts Live-Fire Drill Adjacent to Taiwan
Annotated Outline
China conducts a live fire drill in its south coast, Fujian province, which is close to Taiwan. To be specific, the exercise is held near eighty kilometers south of Taiwan’s Matsu island. The drill exercise happens just a week after China’s large scale military exercise where aircraft and warships participated.
There is no doubt that Taiwan has been using its recognizance and surveillance apparatus to observe China’s live fire drill.
In a statement, Taiwan’s defense ministry notes its observation about China’s live fire drill.
Taiwan views the live-fire exercise both as China’s routine as well as China’s expansion efforts of deterrent effects in the Taiwan strait.
However, it is patent to mention here that China’s such exercise of live fire drill near Taiwan is very uncommon. The reason is that China has recently conducted a large military exercise near Taiwan.
Hence, within a short time span of seven days, holding another live fire drill is very uncommon. In addition to that, no matter how large a military exercise, a live-fire drill should not be done by China at such close proximity to Taiwan.
It is also very pertinent to mention here that Taiwan appears to have no countermeasure initiative against such military exercises and drills. Taiwan should mull for opting such countermeasure initiatives, at least passive in nature, that would make China’s prospective military drills and exercises less significant.
