In news from and about Taiwan this morning,

Defense Minister Wellington Koo says the military is closely monitoring
China's military exercises, but they are taking place off the coast of China
rather than near Taiwan.

However, Koo is stressing that the Ministry of National Defense is preparing
for various scenarios.

The statement comes after China's Maritime Safety Administration issued
no-sail notices late last week for five marine areas ahead of military
exercises scheduled for this week.

The five no-sail areas listed are in the Yellow Sea, the East China the Sea,
South China Sea and Bohai Sea, where China's military is carrying out
live-fire drills.

According to Koo, the military has assessed that the exercises will be held
near China's coastline and will involve only artillery units.

Beijing has not explicitly said whether or not the exercises are in response
to President Lai Ching-te's National Day address on Saturday, but has said
the drills are a deterrent to any move by Taiwan towards "independence."