China holds live-fire drills opposite Taiwan, a week after large-scale exercise

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China is holding live-fire drills off the coast of its southern Fujian province facing Taiwan, just a week after a massive air-and-sea drill it described as punishment for Taiwan's president rejecting Beijing's claims of sovereignty.

The live-fire drills were being held near the Pingtan islands, according to a notice from the Maritime Safety Administration. It warned ships to avoid the area. It did not offer additional details.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said China's drills were part of an annual exercise and it was tracking them.

“It cannot be ruled out that it is one of the ways to expand the deterrent effect in line with the dynamics in the Taiwan Strait,” the statement added.

Taiwan is a self-ruled island that Beijing claims is part of China. Tensions around the issue have flared in recent years. China has increased its presence in the waters and skies around Taiwan. It now increasingly sends large numbers of warplanes and navy vessels to military exercises near Taiwan, and its coast guard carries out patrols.

Last week, China held a one-day military exercise aimed at practicing the “sealing off of key ports and key areas.” Taiwan counted a record one-day total of 153 aircraft, 14 navy vessels and 12 Chinese government ships.

Taiwan's premier, Cho Jung-tai, called on China to stop its exercises aimed at Taiwan.

“Like all democratic countries in the world, we believe that China’s military exercises are a threat to regional peace and stability. Regardless of the scale of the exercise, China’s military exercises should not frequently approach Taiwan to make meaningless declarations," he said.

In response to Chinese moves, the U.S. has continued what it calls “freedom of navigation” transits through the Taiwan Strait. On Sunday, the destroyer USS Higgins and the Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver transited the narrow band of ocean that separates China and Taiwan.

Germany sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait last month as it seeks to increase its defense engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.

China has also exerted diplomatic pressure on Taiwan, poaching its allies. South Africa, which does not recognize Taiwan as a country, asked the island last week to move its liaison office outside the capital, Pretoria, as a concession to China. Taiwan on Monday said it would fight the request.

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AP senior video producer Johnson Lai contributed to this report.