With drills China preparing for invasion says Taiwan

Beijing, Aug 09: China is using drills to prepare for invasion, Taiwan's foreign minister said according to an AFP report.

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told CNN that the threat to Taiwan is more serious than ever. However the island will stand firm and protect its freedom and democracy, he also said.

China on Monday held combat training exercises around self-governed Taiwan and focused on anti-submarine and sea assault operations. The Chinese continue to exert pressure on Taiwan following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the country.

In a brief statement the eastern theatre command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) said that it will practice conducting anti-submarine attacks and sea raids around the island, which Beijing says is a break-away province.

On Monday, China announced new drills a day after what was supposed to be the convulsing day of the four day joint live fire exercises around Taiwan. On Sunday China announced additional military exercises around the Yellow Sea which is located between China and the Korean Peninsula.

"The drill on the Bohai Sea will be held between August 8 and September 8, while another on the Yellow Sea will be conducted between August 7 and 15," China's Maritime Safety Administration said in a statement on Sunday.

The exercise included the first firing of conventional missiles over the island of Taiwan while hundreds of Chinese aircraft and warships also crossed the median line of the Taiwan strait.

A Chinese defence ministry spokesperson said that the countermeasures they took in response to Pelosi's visit to Taiwan are justified and appropriate. "The current tensions across the Taiwan Strait result solely from the provocations from the US side. Thus, the US side must take full responsibility and face the grave consequences," spokesperson Wu Qian told reporters, according to the official Xinhua news agency.