China’s Maritime Safety Administration said all ships were prohibited from entering area

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/09/29
By: Eric Chang, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China has begun carrying out five simultaneous military drills along various sections of its coast and beyond on Monday (Sept. 28).

Two of the drills are being conducted close to the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea, one in the East China Sea, and one further north in the Bohai Sea, the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) said via its website, Reuters reported. The fifth exercise, which includes live-fire exercises, will last from Monday to Wednesday in the Yellow Sea, the administration said in another statement.

The MSA said all ships are prohibited from entering these areas. While China often holds military drills, it rarely carries out multiple exercises at the same time, according to Reuters.

Last month, China carried out four separate training exercises, from the Bohai Sea to the East and Yellow Seas, and down to the South China Sea, where sovereignty of the many small islands there are disputed.    [FULL  STORY]