China will hold exercises with the practical use of weapons in one of the areas of the East China Sea on Wednesday, the Maritime Safety Administration of China said.
According to the statement, the exercises will be held from 11.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. local time (from 03:00 to 10:30 GMT). Ships will be barred from entering the area of the drills, the maritime administration said, without providing further details.
The situation around Taiwan has recently escalated once again after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier in April, with Beijing starting massive three-day military exercises near the island in what it called a “warning” for Taiwanese separatists and foreign powers.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan — a territory with its own elected government — maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.
