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South China Sea: Philippines protests over Taiwan’s live-fire drills
- Manila condemns military exercises near Taiping Island as ‘unlawful’
- Boats and aircraft urged to avoid area as Taiwanese weapons fire into air and sea
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The Philippines has hit out at Taiwan over live-fire drills by the island’s military in disputed waters of the South China Sea.
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The two-day exercises, which started on Tuesday, involved firing into the sea and air in the area around Taiping Island – also known as Itu Aba – between 8pm and 9pm, according to Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration.
In a notice issued by the administration, vessels and aircraft were urged to avoid the area.
The coastguard did not say what kinds of weapons were used in the drills, but previous exercises involved 40mm anti-aircraft guns, 120mm mortar systems, and other artillery weapons.
The drills are also expected to feature Kestrel anti-tank systems, which were developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, Taiwan’s top weapon builder.
The shoulder-launched systems can penetrate up to 60cm (23.6 inches) of reinforced concrete, making them effective in countering potential amphibious attacks from the People’s Liberation Army.
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Last year, the Taiwanese military deployed 292 Kestrel anti-armour rockets to Taiping and the Pratas Islands, also known as the Dongsha, another South China Sea islet cluster controlled by Taipei, to test its preparedness for a potential PLA attack.
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