TAIWAN MILITARY DRILLS TAKE PLACE IN PINGTUNG, 1997-06-12 (photo)

Tanks firing live ammunition rumble across the southern Taiwan countryside on June 12 during military drills in Pingtung county. Taiwan's Chinese Nationalist government on Thursday rebuffed a U.S. request to call off the manoeuvres and larger war games planned for June 23-24, saying the drills were routine and would proceed. The United States on Wednesday urged Taiwan and communist rival China not to stage war games during the sensitive runup to Hong Kong's July 1 return to Beijing's control, saying the adversaries should avoid engaging in "activities that are counterproductive". Since a 1949 civil war split, Beijing has seen Taiwan as a renegade province that must be reunified with the mainland. Taiwan vows to defend its autonomy until political liberalisations in China make reunification acceptable. TAIWAN