Chinese naval reconnaissance ship spotted in waters off Hualien
ROC Central News Agency
07/22/2022 06:09 PM
Taipei, July 22 (CNA) A Chinese naval reconnaissance vessel was spotted in waters off Hualien County early Friday morning, ahead of the start of Taiwan's annual live-fire Han Kuang military exercises on July 25, according to an anonymous military source.
The Chinese military vessel was spotted 44 nautical miles off the coast of Hualien's Fengbin Township at around 4 a.m., according to the source, a military official who declined to be named.
The official said that the ship was sailing in a southeasterly direction until it went out of Taiwan's monitoring range.
The official added that reconnaissance and intelligence vessels of the People's Liberation Army had been spotted in the area in previous years when Taiwan's military was preparing to carry out large-scale drills.
On Friday, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) said that the ministry was still looking into the matter with the help of the relevant agencies.
The 38th Han Kuang military exercises comprise simulated tabletop war games and live-fire drills, including large-scale joint naval and air drills to be conducted off the coast of Su'ao Township in Yilan County, to the north of where the Chinese vessel was sighted.
The tabletop exercises were held from May 16 to 20, while the live-fire component is scheduled for July 25 to 29, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said on May 26.
The annual Han Kuang exercises, first held in 1984, are the nation's most extensive military exercises involving all branches of the armed forces.
(By Tyson Lu and Ko Lin)
Enditem/ASG
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