China announces new military drills

BEIJING

China announced Sunday that it will conduct live-fire military exercises on the Yellow and Bohai seas.

The drill on the Bohai Sea will be held Aug. 8 to Sept. 8, while another on the Yellow Sea will be conducted Aug. 7 to 15, the Maritime Safety Administration said in a statement.

Beijing launched massive military exercises surrounding Taiwan earlier this week after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-ruled island, bucking Chinese warnings.

China views Taiwan as a "breakaway province" despite Taipei having governed itself since 1949. It has vowed to reunify the island, including by force if necessary.

As part of its major military exercises near Taiwan and eight countermeasures to respond to the situation, China on Friday dispatched the largest number of military aircraft across the Taiwan Strait this year, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry.