China's Yellow Sea drills won't affect Taiwan int'l flights: MOTC

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) A new round of military exercises being held by China in the southern part of the Yellow Sea is not expected to have any impact on Taiwan's international flight routes, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said Monday.

On Saturday, China's Maritime Safety Administration announced five exclusion zones in the Yellow Sea where it said the country's military would be holding live-fire military exercises from Aug. 6-15.

In a press release on Monday, the MOTC said that based on its initial assessment, the drills are not being conducted in the Taipei flight information region (FIR) and will not affect any of Taiwan's international flight routes.

Nevertheless, the ministry said it had instructed the Maritime Port Bureau to remind commercial shipping companies, including Yang Ming Marine Transport, Evergreen Marine Corp., and Wan Hai Lines, to avoid the region while the drills are taking place.

China's latest round of exercises comes on the heels of military drills in six maritime areas encircling Taiwan from Aug. 4-7, following U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island last week.

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