Photos of China | News Getty Images | Getty Images China said it was conducting military exercises Saturday off its coast opposite Taiwan after warning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to cancel possible plans to visit the island republic, which Beijing claims as part of its territory. her. The ruling Communist Party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, conducted “live-fire drills” near the Pingtan Islands off Fujian province from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., the official Xinhua news agency reported. The Maritime Safety Administration warned ships to avoid the area. Such exercises usually involve artillery. The announcement of a proposal gave no indication whether Saturday’s exercise might also involve missiles, fighter jets or other weapons. Pelosi, who would be the highest-ranking US elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997, has yet to confirm whether she will go. President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart, Joe Biden, in a phone call on Thursday about “external interference” in Beijing’s dealings with the island. China says Taiwan has no right to maintain foreign relations. He sees visits by American officials as encouragement for the island to formalize its decades-long de facto independence. The Defense Department warned Washington this week against allowing Pelosi, who is equal to Biden as head of one of the three branches of government, to visit Taiwan. A spokesman said the PLA would take unspecified “strong measures” to stop pro-independence activity. The PLA has flown increasing numbers of fighter jets and bombers near Taiwan and has in the past fired missiles into shipping lanes toward the island. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war that ended with a Communist victory on the mainland. The two governments say they are one country, but they disagree over who is entitled to national leadership. They have no formal relations, but are linked by billions of dollars in trade and investment.
