China plans live-fire drills in Taiwan Strait after US and Canadian warships transit

China said it would carry out live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, two days after US and Canadian warships sailed through the contentious waterway following Beijing’s massive military exercise a week ago.

The live-fire drills are to take place in a limited area in the waters near Niushan Island from 9am to 1pm local time, the official Fujian Daily reported, citing a notice from the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) on Pingtan, an island off the coast of Fujian province in southeastern China.

Sitting east of Pingtan Island, Niushan Island is only 165 kilometres (102 miles) from Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan.

It is also the closest point between mainland China and the main island of Taiwan, hosting China’s largest lighthouse in the region.

Ships would be prohibited from entering the area, the notice added.

Tuesday’s drills would come only two days after the USS Higgins, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, and HMCS Vancouver, a Halifax-class frigate, made transit through the strait on Sunday, a move Beijing denounced as “disturbing the situation and undermining peace and stability” in the region.