China, Taiwan, U.S. show off military

Military assistants help pilots get their US-made Cobra helicopters ready

DONGSHAN, China (CNN) -- China media reports the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is to launch its largest integrated military exercises near Taiwan, a day after Taiwan showed off the capabilities of its attack helicopters.

The displays come as U.S. warships anchor in Hong Kong after an exercise in the region.

Chinese newspaper Wen Wei Po reported top military leaders of the central military commission are to arrive in Dongshan, near Fujian province, to watch the war games.

Fishing boats and other vessels have been given advance notice to stay out of the region and return to port.

The military exercises, which have already lasted four months, are the largest the PLA has conducted in terms of scale, duration, the total number of personnel involved and the advanced weaponry used. Some 100,000 troops have reportedly been involved.

Hong Kong media reported the exercises would simulate an invasion of the Taiwan-controlled Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait. They would also include battles against intervention by ``foreign'' aircraft carriers.

Last Friday, two U.S. aircraft carriers and other warships conducted an exercise in the South China Sea.

The USS Constellation arrived in Hong Kong for a six-day port call on Monday just days after China refused permission to allow a US military spy plane to land there.

Missile test

In a previous crisis in 1996 when China fired test missiles into the Taiwan Strait, Washington sent two battle carrier groups to waters off the island.

In Taiwan, 10 U.S.-made AH-1W helicopters were put through their paces in front of the media in central Taiwan.

Taiwan Defense Ministry spokesman Huang Suey-sheng was quoted by a Hong Kong newspaper as saying Beijing was trying to intimidate the island through media reports.

``The Chinese communist media and Hong Kong media have been deliberately reporting the war games . . . as part of Beijing's efforts to scare Taiwan,'' Mr Huang said.