China's PLA begins two days of live-fire drills in Taiwan Strait near Fujian, a day after Rubio-Wang Yi talks
The People's Liberation Army launched two days of live-fire exercises in parts of the Taiwan Strait off Fujian province's Dongshan Island on July 23, a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting in Manila. Beijing had also separately criticized Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's recent speech.
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Summary
China's People's Liberation Army opened two days of live-fire exercises on July 23 in parts of the Taiwan Strait, operating near Fujian province's Dongshan Island. The drills began the day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Manila on the sidelines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting and discussed Taiwan, trade and the Gulf conflict. Beijing had also separately criticized a speech by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. The PLA deployed "Steel Rain" airburst munitions, which analysts say are designed to hit personnel and lightly armored vehicles.
The split
Philippine media (Rappler) leads on the political timing: drills the day after Rubio-Wang Yi talked Taiwan in Manila frames Beijing's move as a direct signal to Washington. Hong Kong's SCMP provides the military-hardware analysis angle, noting the PLA's choice of "Steel Rain" airburst munitions and the concurrence with a fisheries-survey operation east of Taiwan, suggesting the drills are part of a broader military presence pattern rather than a one-off demonstration. Turkish state broadcaster TRT World frames the exercises through the lens of Beijing's public displeasure with the US-China Manila agenda, a "Global South" reading that treats the drills as a calibrated diplomatic message. No Taiwan government or domestic press reaction is in the verified feed; no PRC state-media framing (Xinhua, CGTN) is present; and no Western European or Japanese wire treatment appears.
By the numbers
- 2, days of PLA live-fire exercises announced July 23
- 1, day after Rubio and Wang Yi met in Manila to discuss Taiwan
- Dongshan Island, Fujian province, the location of the drill area
- "Steel Rain" airburst munitions, the specific hardware PLA displayed
Why it matters
The timing, 24 hours after Rubio-Wang Yi talks and during active US engagement in three other crises (Iran, Hormuz, Ukraine), tests whether Washington's attention and military assets are stretched enough to reduce the cost of a provocative show of force. The airburst munition signals the PLA is rehearsing scenarios beyond naval blockade, including ground-force engagement on Taiwan's less-defended western coast.
What to watch
Whether Taipei calls for emergency consultation under the Manila framework; the duration and intensity of the second drill day; and how the US responds at the diplomatic level, given that the Rubio-Wang Yi channel opened for dialogue just days before the exercises began.