China says military exercises around Taiwan complete – blog

The Chinese military said on Wednesday it had completed its exercises around Taiwan but would regularly conduct patrols and drills in the area, an apparent confirmation of fears in Taipei and Washington that Beijing intended to normalise a closer military presence. The People's Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement it had "completed the various tasks" in a series of joint military operations around Taiwan. But it added that it would "keep a close eye on changes in the situation" and continually train, prepare and organise regular patrols "in the direction of the Taiwan Strait". The statement came…