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Military drills

Chinese armed forces conducting drills near Penghu islands in Taiwan Strait

The drills were announced a day after a US congressional delegation led by Senator Ed Markey arrived in Taiwan on a two-day visit

SHANGHAI, August 15. /TASS/. The drills announced earlier on Monday are being conducted by the Chinese armed forces, among other areas, near the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, according to a video posted on the WeChat official account of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The Penghu islands can be clearly seen in a short video seemingly from a military jet involved in the drills. The footage shows the PLA’s radio-electronic reconnaissance aircraft and fleet fighters.

The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command announced the drills a day after a US congressional delegation led by Senator Ed Markey arrived in Taiwan on a two-day visit. Work to increase combat readiness and to practice joint operations involving various types of troops in the air and waters of Taiwan was declared as the goal. "The armed forces in the combat command area will take every necessary measure to resolutely protect the country’s sovereignty as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," the Command said in a statement.

Since early August, China has conducted a series of drills along its coast and around Taiwan amid tensions in the Taiwan Strait following a visit on August 2-3 by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei, which infuriated the Chinese mainland. On August 4, the Chinese military launched large-scale drills with firings of missiles in six areas around Taiwan. The drills were supposed to last till August 7, but the Chinese Defense Ministry said those had been extended for an indefinite period.

On August 10, the spokesperson for the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said that the Chinese army had successfully completed all tasks in the recent drills and would continue to monitor the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

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