File photo:China Military
 

The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration issued two navigation alerts on Friday for military drilling activities in the country’s northern Bohai Sea, a day after the US Undersecretary of State Keith Krach's arrival in the island of Taiwan, which observers said is a clear warning to the US’ Trump government as it is trying to escalate tensions between the Taiwan Straits.  

Military actions will be held on the Bohai Sea from September 22-24. A Type 750 multifunctional vessel will conduct daily test firing in the sea from September 21 to October 1, according to the maritime administration’s announcement.

The administration released coordinates of the areas involved and banned types of ships and all non-related personnel from entering the designated areas.
 
Chinese military experts said the moves are aimed at warning the US not to further escalate the situation between the Taiwan Straits. 

Krach, the most senior US State Department official to visit Taiwan island since 1979, arrived in Taipei Thursday afternoon. He is reportedly in Taiwan for a memorial service on Saturday for the island's former leader Lee Teng-hui, who is considered by Chinese mainlanders as the "godfather of Taiwan separatism."

File photo:China Military

The military maneuvers announced Friday are probably a warning to US which has been sending higher-level official to the Taiwan Island, Li Jie, a Beijing-based military analyst told the Global Times on Saturday. 

The US is also frequently conducting military actions in seas around China to show its muscle, experts said. On Monday, the US is expected to start the Valiant Shield 2020 exercises on Guam and around the Mariana Islands Range Complex.

The PLA has conducted more than 30 maritime drills in all four of its major sea regions, namely the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea, experts said.

The frequent drills over the last two months indicate the PLA is ready to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, deter US interference and Taiwan secessionist forces, and, if they go too far, reunify the island by force.

Experts noted that China’s aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong are ready for combat if war breaks out across the Taiwan Strait. 

A year after being commissioned, the Shandong carrier has achieved basic combat capacity and the Liaoning’s combat capacity is continuously growing, said Li Jie.