China launched military exercises around Taiwan on Monday, with planes and ships encircling the self-ruled island, according to Beijing's Defence Ministry.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence has announced three major joint exercises to be held from late October to early November, aimed at strengthening the island's defence capabilities in response to China's ongoing military activities
White House official John Kirby noted that China and Russia do not have a long history of working closely together militarily.
We've been watching this defence relationship grow and deepen over the last couple of years to include the - the exercise of their militaries in both the air, at sea
China carried out air and sea combat patrols near Scarborough Shoal - to test "strike capabilities" on the same day that the US, Australia, Canada and Philippines conducted military manoeuvres within Manila's exclusive economic zone.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said the annual Han Kuang and Wan An exercises, between July 22 and July 26, will focus on "unscripted and real combat drills." Including drills such as shelter-in-place and air defence drill alerts.
Taiwan Ministry of National Defence (MND) tracked 20 Chinese military aircrafts and six naval ships around Taiwan's vicinity from Tuesday 6 am and Wednesday same time, reported Taiwan News.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence announced Thursday that it is closely monitoring large-scale military drills conducted by the People's Liberation Army in the East China Sea, which are scheduled to run until Friday.
Monday's launches came a day after Pyongyang promised "offensive and overwhelming" responses to new military drills staged by the United States, South Korea and Japan.
Former US Defence official Elbridge Colby stressed that an attack by China against Taiwan could happen with little warning as China has given up on "peaceful unification", reported Taiwan News.
In the wake of massive military drills by China in the area surrounding Taiwan, a visiting delegation of US lawmakers has expressed support for Taiwan, reported Focus Taiwan.
"Paraguay observes with concern and condemns the military exercises carried out by the People's Republic of China in the vicinity of the Republic of China (Taiwan). These constitute a serious threat to the balance in the region. Paraguay advocates for peace and stability in the world," said
US senators promised to strengthen Taiwan's deterrence against China on Monday during a bipartisan congressional visit to the self-governing island, just days after Beijing ringed the island with major military drills, according to CNN.