CHINA-US: PLA CONDUCTS LIVE MILITARY EXERCISE FROM JULY 28 TO 30 BECAUSE OF PELOSI'S VISIT TO TAIWAN
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In the context of Pelosi's reported visit to Taiwan, the Fujian Pingtan Maritime Safety
Administration announced that from July 28 to July 30 live ammunition training will be
conducted in the waters near Yiqiyu Island in Pingtan, Fujian Province, and all ships will be
prohibited from entering. A Chinese media report said the notice of the exercise issued by "a
unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army stationed in Fujian" on July 28 caused speculation
since the PLA only conducts live ammunition in small coastal areas. However, since Pingtan
is the closest location in mainland China to Hsinchu, Taiwan , and the mainland established
the "Fuzhou (Pingtan) Comprehensive Experimental Zone in Pingtan County in 2009", the
news of the military exercise caused speculation from the outside world.. According to satellite
images released by the US military media "The War Zone" in October last year, the Chinese
military is upgrading the three air bases closest to Taiwan, including the construction of
ammunition bunkers, extension of airport runways, and new apron. The Chinese military's
Longtian, Hui'an and Zhangzhou air bases in Fujian Province have been continuously
upgrading their internal equipment since the beginning of 2020. The Longtian base is about
217 kilometres away from Taipei, Taiwan, the Hui'an base is about 278 kilometres away from
Taipei, and the Zhangzhou base is about 399 kilometres away from Taipei. It is estimated that
the fighter jet can reach Taipei in about 7 minutes as soon as it takes off.
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