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Taiwan's military carried out live fire drills on its strategically-located southern coast on Monday, firing missiles from highly mobile armoured cars to destroy targets close to shore in a simulation of repelling invading forces.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military pressure over the past three years to try to assert its sovereignty claim, and the island's armed forces routinely practice seeing off a Chinese attack.

Camouflaged Taiwan army Humvees roared around the coastal drill area in Pingtung county's Fangshan near the far southern tip of the island, before firing off U.S.-made TOW anti-tank missiles to destroy static targets near the shoreline.

"Most of the drills we carried out today involved live artillery because the defence exercise needs to be similar to actual combat, allowing our army to be confident and have the capability to protect our homeland," Defence Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang told reporters.

Pingtung, which looks out on the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, Pacific Ocean and Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan from the Philippines, is a highly strategic spot to watch Chinese military activity, and a potential landing site in an invasion.

Taiwan holds its most important drills, the annual Han Kuang exercises, at the end of this month, with a focus on combating a blockade and preserving the fighting ability of its forces.

Those drills are expected to see air force jets operating at civilian airports, including the island's main international airport at Taoyuan, to practice using their facilities in case air bases are rendered unusable in a war.

China practised precision strikes and blockading the island in drills around it in April after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.

Beijing has never renounced using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and has vowed to defend its freedom and democracy. (Reuters)

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins trod a careful line on his first trip to China last week as leader, focusing on trade and economic opportunities but avoiding contentious issues such as human rights abuses in Xinjiang or security concerns.

Barely three months out from what looks likely to be a tight election and with the economy already technically in recession, analysts say Hipkins is seeking to step out of the shadow of high-profile former leader Jacinda Ardern and show he is the person to run the country for a further three years.

One angle Hipkins is focusing on is assuring voters that Labour is the party to bring back prosperity – and that means avoiding disputes with the country’s largest trading partner, which could damage New Zealand exports.

“This was a big visit for Hipkins who is cementing his profile as a new prime minister in an election year,” said Robert Ayson, professor of strategic studies at Victoria University.

“Hipkins pulled his punches on anything controversial. We were back, for a moment at least, where New Zealand admits it does not see eye to eye with China on some big matters without actually naming them."

New Zealand has long been seen as the most conciliatory towards China among the Five Eyes security grouping, which includes Australia, the U.S., Britain and Canada.

But the country’s Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Ardern in recent meetings with counterparts noted the situation in Xinjiang and the erosion of democracy in Hong Kong, while raising concerns about potential militarisation in the Pacific and tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

The statement after Hipkins's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned none of these issues.

“(Hipkins's) visit certainly gave China a tick in the international legitimacy box and Beijing has gained at least as much from Hipkins' visit as New Zealand exporters,” Victoria University's Ayson said.

New Zealand exporters were prominent in the visit with a delegation of 29 businesses travelling with the prime minister to China.

Business is not a traditional supporter base of the Labour Party, but Hipkins has been focused on winning this sector over since he took office – his first full day in the job in January he spent talking to business leaders in Auckland.

“My sense is that there's a significant aspect of domestic politics here in an election year, and that Hipkins wants to be seen as a sort of good steward of the China relationship,” said David Capie, Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University.

The most recent polls from late May put a coalition of opposition parties National and Act ahead of a Labour-Green party coalition. Neither coalition, however, may have a clear majority.

Derek J. Grossman, a senior defence analyst at RAND Corp in the United States said the trade-focused visit is unlikely to have any negative blow back on New Zealand’s relationship with other partners as many countries are aware of the delicate balancing act Wellington is playing.

“In addition, and as the Biden administration has shown with India on its Russia ties, so long as partners agree to cooperate on the Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China, then Washington is willing to tolerate quite a bit of behaviour that does not align with its interests or even values." (Reuters)

China, Japan and South Korea need to send a clear signal of regrouping towards co-operation, and resist "the coercion of bullying and domination", China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, said on Monday, in an apparent swipe at the United States.

The remarks come at a time of heightened tension as the United States moves to forge closer ties with allies Japan and South Korea to push back against China's growing regional influence.

Wang was speaking on efforts to revitalise co-operation among the three neighbours at a forum organised by the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, a body set up by agreement among Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo.

He called for them to "foster a sense of strategic autonomy, maintain regional unity and stability, resist the return of the Cold War mentality, and be free from the coercion of bullying and domination," the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Although Wang stopped short of mentioning the United States, he said "certain major countries outside the region" had attempted to replace unity with division while seeking geographical gains, the ministry said in a statement.

"If this trend is allowed to develop, it will not only seriously interfere with the smooth progress of trilateral co-operation, but also increase tension and confrontation in the region," Wang added.

Wang emphasised the need to solve disputes through dialogue and consultation, and oppose words or deeds that could plunge the region into war.

At the event in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Wang also called for accelerating talks on free trade zones and efforts to free up and smoothe trade among the neighbours.

However, Wang reiterated Beijing's opposition to Japan's plan to release into the sea treated water from Tokyo Electric Power Co's (9501.T) Fukushima nuclear plant, saying it would affect the marine ecosystem and people's safety.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa addressed the event via video link. (Reuters)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Regional Police of West Papua will station special troops across all regions of West Papua Province and Southwest Papua Province in a bid to facilitate smooth implementation of the 2024 elections.

West Papua Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Tahi Monang Silitonga stated in Manokwari on Monday that the police will optimize all its potential to ensure that the festival of democracy in 2024 goes safely and peacefully.

"The National Police Chief has urged us to maximize the efforts to maintain security. As a follow-up to this instruction, we will prepare special troops that will be ready to move in the event of disruption," Silitonga remarked.

He affirmed that the police is committed to safeguarding the elections by creating a conducive situation, so that the people can exercise their voting rights.

In its efforts to maintain conduciveness and stability, the police will also involve traditional, public, religious, and youth figures, he stated.

"The police will exert all-out efforts to provide the finest services to the people," he stressed.

Chief Silitonga then confirmed that the West Papua Police will dispatch its personnel to regions to assist the local police in securing the 2024 elections.

This method will be applied as a measure to address the issue of personnel shortage at several resort police units, both in West Papua and Southwest Papua.

As a result, all polling stations, especially those in threat-prone locations, will be guarded by police officers.

"There will be no additional personnel from outside (of the two provinces). We will temporarily rotate our existing personnel," Silitonga noted.

Furthermore, the inspector general said that the police is always paying close attention to security developments for the public ahead of the elections.

In order to maintain public conduciveness, the police is striving to optimize the role of the Public Security and Order Supervising Officers (Bhabinkamtibmas), he noted.

Apart from providing education and dissemination of information to the public, Bhabinkabtibmas also has the role of collecting initial intelligence information on the field to be evaluated by local police.

"For the upcoming elections, they (Bhabinkamtibmas) will be provided with training courses, so they can collect all information," he noted.

In addition, the West Papua Police is currently conducting a study on the program called RW Police that aims to maintain public security and order in a very narrow residential scope.

"The study is aimed at providing us with information on how to make a significant impact on public security and order through the deployment of police personnel to remote areas. We are currently conducting a study to adjust to the geographical conditions in the two provinces," he stated. (Antaranews)