China announces live-fire military drills in Taiwan Strait amid tensions

China on Thursday announced live-firing military exercises in the Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions over increased American support for Taiwan's government.

The announcement by the maritime safety authority in the coastal province of Fujian coincided with a statement from their counterparts in Hainan province that the navy was ending a three-day exercise in the South China Sea one day early.

No explanations were given in either case and the Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to questions. The Fujian authorities said the one-day Taiwan Strait drill will be held next Wednesday.

While Beijing responded mildly to US President Donald Trump's early outreach to Taiwan's independence-leaning government, recent developments have prompted a tougher response. China claims Taiwan, which separated from the mainland during the Chinese civil war in 1949, as its own territory and says the sides must eventually be united, by force if necessary.

In pics: World's largest amphibious aircraft AG600 makes its maiden flight

China on Sunday conducted the maiden flight of its domestically developed AG600, the world’s largest amphibious aircraft, from an airport on the shores of the South China Sea. This is the latest step in China's  military modernisation programme.

Powered by four turboprop engines, the AG600 can carry 50 people during maritime search-and-rescue missions, and can scoop up 12 metric tonnes of water within 20 seconds for fire-fighting trips, according to Xinhua news agency.

The AG600, codenamed Kunlong, can reach the southernmost edge of China's territorial claims in the area.

The state media said the aircraft was the “protector spirit of the sea, islands and reefs”.

AG600 AG600 claims to be the world's largest amphibious aircraft. Photo: Twitter (@PDChina) State-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) has spent almost eight years developing the aircraft, which is roughly the size of a Boeing Co 737 and is designed to carry out marine rescues and battle forest fires.
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US expresses concern over China militarizing artificial islands in SCS

A United States army official has expressed concern over China's militarising of artificial islands in the South China Sea and alleged that Beijing was increasing its armed presence in the area.

"China is putting on those man-made islands, which they have made, features are becoming militaristic, they are growing military on these man-made islands in the South China Sea," Major General James S Hartsell, mobilisation assistant to the commander US Pacific command, told ANI, on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference 2017 here on Friday.

"America takes no territorial ...We do take a strong feeling and position on keeping open on global comments and so we would continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows that includes south China sea," he added, while referring to China's military presence in South China sea.

Maj Gen Hartsell expressed concern over the issue of privacy in the Indian Ocean and said that lot of work has come together over the years to reduce privacy in the region.

Referring to terrorism in the region, he said the United States is working with lot of progress with its allies in the region to counter terrorist organisations which are trying to reconstitute, regroup in this part of the world and South East Asia particularly.
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South China Sea dispute: China slams US after bombers fly over region

China today accused the US of trying to "flaunt military force" to harm its sovereignty in name of freedom of navigation after two American bombers flew over the disputed South China Sea disregarding Beijing's claims over the area.

The B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam airbase flew over South China Sea on late Thursday as part of operations intended to demonstrate the US commitment to freedom of navigation, the US Air Force said in a statement.

Asked about the flight by the US bombers, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told media here that there was no problem with freedom of navigation or overflight for the East and South China Seas.

"But China resolutely opposes individual countries using the banner of freedom of navigation and overflight to flaunt military force and harm China's sovereignty and security," Geng said.

China and Japan have a dispute over the uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

In a statement, the Defence Ministry said China always maintained its vigilance and "effectively monitors relevant countries' military activities next to China. The Chinese military will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability."

China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea.

Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.

Since Donald Trump took over the Presidency, US dispatched two warships close to the artificial islands built by China to assert freedom of navigation.

The US flights over the South China Sea came as Trump is due to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg to discuss among others the latest ICBM test by North Korea, which could reach US state of Alaska.

Trump has expressed unhappiness over China not doing enough to contain its ally North Korea.
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South China sea: US & China return to 'business as usual' over war ship

The South China Sea is a volatile place – or rather, its politics are.

China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have been fighting over this azure stretch of the Pacific for more than a century. But tensions increased markedly in recent years as China, claiming the South China Sea as its own, has built on and militarised some 250 islands off the coasts of Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, along with an arbitration tribunal, are now challenging the legitimacy of China’s presence there.

Meanwhile, the United States continues to insist that the sea remains under international control. Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were supposed to discuss the situation during their first meeting at Mar-a-Lago on April 5, 2017. But the launch of 59 Tomahawks in Syria and growing tensions on the Korean peninsula completely overshadowed the maritime issue.

Two months after that meeting, the US triggered a classic confrontational cycle in the South China Sea. On May 24, the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey passed through the contested waters and sailed close to Mischief Reef, in the Spratly archipelago.

The island, controlled by China, has become a symbol of the country’s assertiveness since it was occupied in 1995.

The operation was the first military maritime exercise in eight months and the first of Trump’s presidency. Under the Obama administration, starting in 2015, American patrols in the South China Sea were regular practice.
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