Taiwan augments defenses on Taiping, announces live-fire exercise

A pair of 40mm anti-aircraft guns 

An expert on the problem argues that the drills are a means for Taipei to signal it no longer wants to be ignored by other claimants 

Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) will hold a live-fire exercise on a small island in the South China Sea from Sept. 1-5, a move that could exacerbate tensions in an area that is now regarded as a dangerous flashpoint in Asia.

My article in Jane’s International Defence Review on recent reinforcements to Taiping Island (太平島) and the upcoming live-fire exercises, continues here, with comments from Song Yann-huei (宋燕辉), an expert on the South China Sea at Academia Sinica (subscription required).