Taiwan held live-fire drills in its northernmost territory on Wednesday, putting the spotlight on a remote island that is strategically located at a chokepoint near China — and potentially vulnerable to attack.
Although the Defense Ministry says the exercises on Dongyin, part of the Taiwan-controlled Matsu archipelago off the coast of China's Fuzhou, are routine, they are happening as Taipei has raised its alert level after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, wary of Beijing making a similar move.
Soldiers fired shells at a floating red cross in the water, meant to represent advancing enemy forces. Piercing the calm blue sea, each shell sent spray upwards.