China to hold live-fire exercises in waters near Fujian ahead of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan
Beijing: China is planning to conduct live-fire exercises on Saturday in waters near Pingtan Island of Fujian province just ahead of the possible visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, media reports said.
The Pingtan Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigation warning about the drills late Thursday local time, prohibiting all ships from entering waters near the island and the southeastern province of Fujian.
It said the "live-fire training missions" would take place from 8 am to 9 pm, reports CNN.
Meanwhile, the Chinese military has been also holding drills on Friday and Saturday in the western part of the Hainan Strait, which separates the Guangdong province from the island of Hainan as well as near an island located to the south of Guangdong, UNI news agency reported.
The military exercises are taking place ahead of the 95th anniversary of the PLA's establishment as well as a possible visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, which Beijing finds objectionable.
Earlier this month, media reported that Pelosi is set to visit Taiwan in August, drawing a backlash from Beijing.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that in the event of Pelosi's visit, Beijing will take decisive measures to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the US will be fully responsible for all the consequences resulting from the visit.
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