Taipei, Dec. 31 -- China continued military drills around Taiwan for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, conducting live-fire exercises that drew strong reactions from lawmakers in the United States, Germany and a global alliance of legislators, who warned of escalating tensions and called for urgent steps to support Taipei, Focus Taiwan reported.

Reacting to the drills, US Senator Roger Wicker said on X (formerly Twitter) that Beijing's actions showed intensifying preparations against Taiwan, highlighting the People's Liberation Army's ability to enforce a blockade and the Chinese Communist Party's capacity to pressure Taipei.

Wicker said Washington must move swiftly by accelerating production linked to recent Foreign Military Sales t...