(From AP)
Taiwan held small-scale military drills on an island it controls just off the Chinese coast Tuesday, in a renewed signal of its determination to defend itself from Chinese threats.
The head of Kinmen’s defense command said the beach landing exercise and simulated attack by the navy’s elite “frogman” commandos were to show the ability of the armed forces to provide security in the Taiwan Strait ahead of next month’s Lunar New Year holiday.
The drills follow China’s revelation of live-fire exercises in the area just days after Taiwanese voters elected independence-leaning Tsai Ing-wen as president on Jan. 16. The unit involved, the 31st Group Army, is charged with responding to contingencies involving Taiwan and is based in the city of Xiamen, directly across a narrow waterway from Kinmen.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and threatens to use force to bring the island under its control. Read More