China has in the past fired missiles into the waters surrounding Taiwan — a democratic island of 24 million that the Chinese Communist Party considers its territory even though it has never controlled it — most notably during the decade’s Taiwan Strait crisis of 1990. But the missiles flying over the island signaled a major escalation, with US officials warning that more could follow. “We expected that China might take steps like this — in fact, I described them to you in quite some detail just the other day,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, told reporters at the White House on Thursday. . “We also expect that these actions will continue and that the Chinese will continue to retaliate in the coming days.” A US aircraft carrier will remain in the area around Taiwan for several more days to “monitor the situation”, Kirby added. Speaking in Tokyo on Friday, Pelosi accused China of trying to “isolate Taiwan,” pointing to the island’s blockade by international groups such as the World Health Organization. “They may try to prevent Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places, but they will not isolate Taiwan by preventing us from traveling there,” he said. She added that her visit to Taiwan was about maintaining the status quo, not changing it. On Friday, Kishida said the Chinese military drills were “a serious matter concerning the security of our country and its people” and called for an immediate halt to the drills. Japan and the US “will work together to maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait,” he added.
Missiles pose no ‘danger’
China began military exercises around the island on Thursday, firing multiple missiles into waters near northeastern and southwestern Taiwan the day after Pelosi’s departure. A Chinese military expert confirmed to state broadcaster CCTV that the conventional missiles flew over the main island of Taiwan, including airspace covered by Taiwanese missile defenses. “We hit the targets under the observation of the US Aegis combat system, which means that the Chinese military has solved its difficulties in hitting long-range targets in water,” said Lt. Gen. Meng Xiangqing, a professor of strategy at the National Defense University. in Beijing. In a statement late Thursday, Taiwan’s defense ministry said the missiles traveled above the atmosphere and therefore posed no danger to the island. Authorities did not activate airstrike warnings because they predicted the missiles would land in waters east of Taiwan, the ministry said. The ministry added that it would not release further information about the missile’s trajectory to protect intelligence-gathering capabilities. Five ballistic missiles are believed to have landed in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, including four believed to have flown over Taiwan, Japan’s defense ministry said on Thursday. “This is a serious problem concerning the security of Japan and the security of its citizens. We strongly condemn it,” Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters during a news conference. China also sent 22 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Thursday — which crossed the median line marking the halfway point between the island and mainland China over the Taiwan Strait. It follows similar Chinese incursions a day earlier along the median line that used to be an informal but largely respected control border between Beijing and Taipei. Thursday’s raids were carried out by 12 SU-30 fighter jets, eight J-11 fighter jets and two J-16 fighter jets, Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement. Later on Thursday, the ministry said it spotted four drones flying over “restricted waters” around the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Islands near mainland China. The ministry said Taiwan’s military fired flares to warn the drones away, but did not specify the type or origin of the devices.
Trade disruptions
In a speech on Thursday, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen condemned China’s military exercises as “irresponsible”, saying they signaled a “deliberate and continuous escalation of military threats”. “I must emphasize that, we do not seek to escalate conflicts or provoke discord, but we will vigorously defend our sovereignty and national security, as well as safeguard democracy and freedom,” he added. He also thanked the Group of Seven, made up of the world’s biggest economies, which issued a statement on Wednesday expressing concern over China’s live-fire drills and urging Beijing not to change the status quo in the region. The exercises also caused disruptions to flight and ship routes, with some international flights canceled and ships being asked to use alternative routes to several ports across the island. On Tuesday, China’s defense ministry announced it would hold its drills in six zones around Taiwan, warning ships and aircraft to stay away from the areas during the drills. The Taiwan Strait is a key trade route for ships carrying goods between major economies in Northeast Asia, such as China, Japan and South Korea, and the rest of the world. CNN’s Gawon Bae and Yong Xiong in Seoul, Emiko Jozuka in Tokyo, Laura He in Hong Kong, Eric Cheung in Taipei and Sam Fossum in Washington contributed to this report.
