China plans live-fire exercise in Taiwan Strait

China announced plans on 12 April to hold live-fire naval drills in the narrow strait separating the mainland from Taiwan, an act that could ratchet up tensions with the island.

The Maritime Safety Administration of Fujian, the province that lies opposite Taiwan, said in a statement: ‘Live-fire military manoeuvres will take place... in the Taiwan Strait on April 18, 2018 between 8am and midnight.’

China, which sees self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up air and naval patrols around the island since Beijing-sceptic President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in May 2016.

She refuses publicly to accept the ‘One China’ formula agreed between Beijing and Taiwan’s previous government.

Chinese warplanes conducted 25 drills around Taiwan between August 2016 and mid-December 2017, according to Taipei.

In March 2018, Beijing flexed its military muscle again as its sole operational aircraft carrier – the Liaoning – took part in a naval drill with dozens of other vessels in the South China Sea.

The show of force emerged days after Taiwan said that the Liaoning and other vessels had passed through the Taiwan Strait on 20 March – the same day that Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against any attempts to divide China.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it would keep a close eye on the exercise.

It said in a statement: ‘The defence ministry stresses that the military can comprehensively monitor and respond to the regional situation to ensure national security. We ask the public to rest assured.’