Taiwan navy hold drill amid China tensions

HUALIEN, May 22 (AP): Taiwan's navy held a major live-fire exercise on Wednesday off the island's east coast in an area increasingly threatened by Chinese ships and planes.

The drills are part of annual Han Kuang exercises that simulate an attack by China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary.

Navy craft fired cannons and missiles and released depth charges, while fighter jets launched munitions and anti-submarine warfare aircraft released buoys.

Submarines, along with a vast array of ballistic missiles, are considered among China's most potent weapons against Taiwan, which split from the mainland during a civil war in 1949.

China has boosted its military threat against Taiwan, with President Xi Jinping saying this year that Beijing would not rule out using force.