TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China's military said Friday (Aug. 11) three days of exercises will start Saturday (Aug. 12), coinciding with Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) state visit to its South American ally.
Lai will embark on his Paraguay trip for the inauguration of its new president on Saturday and will stop over in New York on Aug. 12 local time and San Francisco on Aug. 16. There has been speculation about possible Chinese military drills during Lai's trip since the visit has been announced.
According to the notice posted by China's Maritime Safety Administration, the drills are going to be conducted in waters close to Zhoushan, a coastal city of Zhejian Province, which is approximately 500 kilometers away from the northernmost point of Taiwan's main island.
There were more Chinese military drills held last August, which came after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. They gained a lot of attention due to their close vicinity to Taiwan.
A national security official told LTN that China would perform combat readiness patrol missions in waters close to Taiwan during the training exercise.
