Ahead of the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises set to begin on the 22nd, China has conducted live-fire drills in the West Sea and the South China Sea.
Following the high-intensity military exercises China carried out in the Taiwan Strait in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the Chinese military has expanded its training areas to include the West Sea. Some analysts suggest this move reflects both a strengthening of military capabilities and an awareness of the upcoming South Korea-U.S. joint exercises.
According to the website of the China Maritime Safety Administration on the 19th, the Tangshan Maritime Safety Administration prohibited vessel entry and announced live-fire drills in the Bohai Bay area of Northeast China from 0:00 (local time) on the same day until 10:00 on the 25th.
The Shandong Maritime Safety Administration has also been conducting live-fire drills daily from 4:00 a.m. to midnight in the Bohai Bay area near Weifang Port from the 19th to the 21st, following similar exercises on the 17th.
Previously, the Weihai Maritime Safety Administration conducted military activities in the West Sea (Yellow Sea) for three days from the 17th to the 19th, and the Dalian Maritime Safety Administration recently prohibited vessel entry until 12:00 on the 20th, citing military missions in the northern West Sea area.
These areas are located around the Shandong Peninsula and Liaodong Peninsula, close to the Korean Peninsula.
China has also conducted military drills in the South China Sea.
The Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration announced that it would conduct live-fire drills in the waters south of Dawanshan Island at the Zhujiang (Pearl River) estuary from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the 20th, following exercises on the morning of the 19th.
Earlier, the Qinglan Maritime Safety Administration conducted military exercises in the South China Sea from the 17th to the 19th.
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