China Announces Taiwan Strait Live-fire Drills

Beijing on Thursday said it will hold live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions over increased American support for Taipei.

The announcement by the maritime safety authority in the coastal province of Fujian coincided with remarks by President Xi Jinping on the importance of naval power while attending a massive fleet review in the South China Sea off the coast of Hainan province.

"The mission of building a mighty people's navy has never been more urgent than it is today," Xi, dressed in army fatigues, said in remarks on the helicopter deck of one of China's most advanced destroyers. "Strive to make the people's navy a first-rate world navy."

State media said the fleet review included 48 ships, among them China's sole operating aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, along with 76 helicopters, fighter jets and bombers, and more than 10,000 personnel, making it the largest since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. (AP)