TOKYO — China's People's Liberation Army Navy plans to conduct a large-scale amphibious assault drill off Hainan Island in August, according to the Japan Times.<br /><br />Citing unnamed Chinese sources, the Japan Times reports the drill will involve landing ships, hovercraft and helicopters, while the carrier Shandong has been deployed in Hainan since December last year. <br /><br />The exercise is designed to simulate a navy and marines attack on the Taiwan-held Pratas, a strategically important islet that sits astride China's military egress from Hainan to the Pacific Ocean.<br /><br />According to Reuters, Taiwan in April announced plans to buy arms from France to upgrade its fleet of six French-made La Fayette-class frigates.<br /><br />The U.S. Naval Institute reports a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer made a transit through the Taiwan Strait to warn Beijing's leadership against taking aggressive action in the region.<br /><br />The Japan Times reports U.S. electronic warfare aircraft may have passed the strait 14 times in April alone.<br /><br />According to Taiwan's state-run Central News Agency, a Chinese Y-8 aircraft flew into Taiwan's air defense identification zone before being headed off by fighter jets on April 8.<br /><br />This is the seventh time Chinese military planes flew near Taiwan's airspace this year.
