China begins two days of live-fire drills in Taiwan Strait

China launched two days of live-fire military drills in parts of the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, a move that ratchets up tensions over the self-governing island. The exercises are taking place near the shores of Fujian province, bordering Guangdong.

The drills, scheduled to run daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., occur just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed various issues, including Taiwan. China considers the democratically governed island its own territory, a claim rejected by Taiwan's government.

This latest military exercise follows China's most extensive war games around Taiwan in December. Those drills were conducted after the United States announced a record $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan. During the 10-hour exercises in December, China's Eastern Theatre Command fired rockets into waters north and south of the island, signaling Beijing's assertive stance.