CHINA and Taiwan ordered the evacuation of frontline islands in the Taiwan Strait yesterday but poor weather seemed to have ruled out any fresh Chinese war games.
The chief of the People's Liberation Army, Gen Fu Quanyou, said in Beijing that China must stand guard against the efforts of western enemies who wanted to divide the country.
China has been conducting missile tests off Taiwan and manoeuvres in the Taiwan Strait in a show of strength it says is aimed at keeping the island from declaring independence.
The US has sent an aircraft carrier task force to the region and another is on the way. Beijing has warned US warships to stay out of the Taiwan Strait, but Washington insists it has the right to move its forces in international waters.
In Taipei, supporters of the Taiwan Workers Party, yelling "Get out ugly Americans" and burning a US flag, protested against the US warships sent to monitor the Taiwan Strait crisis.
China signalled it would go ahead with plans for the sea, air and ground war games, ordering residents of islands it controls to evacuate by yesterday afternoon. Residents of several Chinese-held islands in the Taiwan Strait were moved out and fishermen were forced to stop operations.
Military fighters roared overhead and naval ships steamed in and out of fishing ports, said officials in Pingtan island, a command post for the military manoeuvres in China's southeastern Fujian province.
Most residents of the tiny Taiwan-held island of Tung Chu, just 16 km from the planned manoeuvres, were among those evacuated. An air raid drill sent those staying behind scurrying for cover.
Beijing, which sees Taiwan as a renegade province, has timed its exercises to coincide with the island's first direct presidential elections on Saturday.
The Taiwanese President, Mr Lee Teng-hui, on Sunday accused China of using "state terrorism" aimed at halting Taiwan's democratisation drive. Taiwan's National Security Bureau director, Mr Yin Tsong-wen, said the current war games could be followed by yet another round at and unspecified future date.
Taiwan's financial markets, which have been buffeted by the crisis, were calm as investors grew accustomed to the tension.
A senior US official said some lower-level Chinese officials had told American officials Beijing would aim nuclear bombs at Los Angeles if the United States defended Taiwan against any future Chinese attack. US officials, however, viewed the threat as rhetoric.