China Holds Live Weapon Training In East China Sea, Analysts Say Beijing 'Actually Preparing For Fighting'

China embarked on a live ammunition training in the East China Sea Wednesday amid tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Analysts say the drills were "strongly targeted" and China was "actually preparing for fighting."

The maritime safety authority announced that the drills began Sunday, days after a U.S. Navy carrier strike group conducted a joint exercise with a Japanese helicopter destroyer in the South China Sea. USS Carl Vinson and its strike group had carried out flight operations and maritime strike exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force’s JS Kaga.

"Our military exercises are strongly targeted," Chinese military commentator Song Zhongping was quoted by the South China Morning Post. "With cooperation between the United States and Japan becoming frequent and normalized, China’s military exercises are actually preparing for fighting," he added.

Song also reflected on the current situation in Taiwan Strait, saying the "current military exercises in various sea areas strongly connect with the situation in the Taiwan Strait."

Taiwan recently said that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) sent nearly 200 aircraft to its buffer zone. The Chinese "provocation" has prompted Taiwan to turn to the U.S. for support.

The U.S., for its part, stepped up its military operations in the disputed waters by conducting 52 reconnaissance flights over the South China Sea in October alone.

Though another military expert close to the PLA in Beijing told the news outlet that the drills in the East China Sea were not necessarily aimed at "countering the U.S.-Japan exercises" directly, rumors of looming war threats have only grown louder.

After China's Ministry of Commerce encouraged families to stockpile essentials, rumors spread like wildfire that the Taiwan war was imminent. Text notifications claiming to be from the PLA asking reservists to be prepared for a draft began to spread.

However, authorities in Beijing soon rushed to quell the war talk. Statements in this regard soon appeared in PLA-affiliated social media accountJunzhengping saying the text messages were fabricated.

"This kind of rumors being able to spread widely is linked to the heated public discourse on the topic. It’s very easy for the public, who do not know the truth, to interpret this incorrectly, leading to unpredictable consequences,” said the statement published Wednesday.

A senior official then clarified that the instruction to stock up was issued given this year's adverse weather and other factors.