Live-fire, landing drills raise regional tension

CHINA has intensified its military presence across the Indo-Pacific, conducting live-fire drills, amphibious exercises, and expansive maritime patrols that analysts say are testing the resolve of regional powers and the United States. Last week, the Chinese military staged a sizable amphibious exercise across the Taiwan Strait, heightening anxieties in Taipei just as Beijing’s oldest aircraft carrier, CNS Liaoning, led a formidable task group into the Western Pacific. China’s military announced over the weekend that its navy and air force were carrying out routine “combat readiness patrols” around the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks Beijing disputes with the…