Taiwan started large-scale naval drills off its east coast yesterday.
The island's marine corps put into service 54 US-built amphibious assault vehicles to improve defensive capabilities in the face of a growing military threat from the mainland.
Taiwanese media said the marine drills - the largest ever staged - were carried out with Japan's approval, suggesting a defence alliance between the United States, Japan and the island was taking shape.
But Taiwanese Defence Ministry spokesman Liu Chih-chien, who confirmed the exercises were ongoing, said the drills had nothing to do with Japan.
'The drills were mainly aimed at testing the anti-submarine warfare capabilities of surface ships and reconnaissance aircraft,' the government-funded Central News Agency quoted Mr Liu as saying.
He said the drills were part of the navy's annual exercise schedule and were unannounced. He stopped short of saying whether they were part of the Hankuang exercise, the island's annual large-scale war games usually held between April and September.
