INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
J-15 fighters took off from China's aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, for the drills (File Photo)Shanghai:
Chinese naval forces have passed through waters south of Taiwan and carried out military exercises in the western Pacific, the latest in a
series of military drills that self-ruled Taiwan has criticised as amounting to "intimidation".J-15 fighters took off from China's sole
operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, on Friday for training in the area to the east of the Bashi Channel, which runs between Taiwan
and the Philippines, the official newspaper of the People's Liberation Army reported on Saturday.Chinese destroyers carried out offensive
and defensive drills to test their capabilities, the PLA Daily said.The Ministry of Defence also carried pictures of the exercises on its
website on Saturday.China has been ramping up military displays in the area over the last week.On Wednesday, the navy carried out live-fire
drills in the Taiwan Strait in what state media said was a direct response to "provocations" by Taiwan.Taiwan, which is claimed by Beijing
as Chinese territory, accused China of "sabre rattling", and carried out its own live-fire exercises on Tuesday on two Taiwan islands close
to China.On Thursday, Chinese bombers flew around Taiwan in what the air force called a "sacred mission".Taiwan's China policy-making
Mainland Affairs Council said China's exercises, including the flight by the bombers, amounted to "military intimidation".Taiwan is one of
China's most sensitive issues and a potential flashpoint
China has ramped up military exercises around the island over the past year.The Chinese manoeuvres come at a time of heightened tension
between Beijing and Taipei and follow strong warnings by Chinese President Xi Jinping last month against Taiwan separatism.Xi presided over
the navy's largest-ever military display this month in the South China Sea, which involved 76 fighter jets and a flotilla of 48 warships and
submarines.China's military activities and growing assertiveness has worried its neighbours as well as the United States, whose Pacific
command called China a "disruptive force" in January.© Thomson Reuters 2018(This story has not been edited by staff and is auto-generated
