China earlier announced that military drills were being conducted by its navy, air force and other units in six zones around Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory to annex by force if necessary. The drills were prompted by a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week and are intended to publicize China’s threat to attack the self-ruled island. Along with its moves to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, China has long threatened military retaliation for the island’s moves to establish de facto independence with the support of key allies, including the US. “Long-range armed precision missile fire was carried out at selected targets in the eastern area of the Taiwan Strait,” the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party, said in a statement on its social network. media platform. “The expected result was achieved,” he added. No other details were given. The drills are due to run from Thursday to Sunday and include missile strikes on targets in seas north and south of the island in the wake of the last major Chinese military exercises aimed at intimidating Taiwan’s leaders and voters in 1995 and 1996.
Taiwanese forces on alert
Taiwan’s defense ministry said it observed the launch of Chinese Dongfeng-series missiles starting around 1:56 a.m. local time on Thursday. It said in a statement that it used various early warning surveillance systems to monitor the missile launches, which were headed for waters northeast and southwest of Taiwan. The defense ministry also said they tracked long-range rockets and munitions to remote islands in Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin. A Chinese supporter stomps on a defaced photo of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a protest over her visit to Taiwan outside the United States Consulate General in Hong Kong on Wednesday. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Earlier in the day, Taiwan’s defense ministry said its forces were on alert and monitoring the situation while trying to avoid an escalation. Civil defense exercises have also been conducted and notices have been placed in designated air raid shelters. China’s “irrational behavior” intends to change the status quo and disrupt regional peace and stability, the ministry said. “The three service branches will combine efforts with all people to jointly protect national security and territorial integrity,” while adapting to the situation as it evolves, the statement said. China’s official Xinhua news agency said the drills were joint operations focused on “interdiction, sea target attack, land target strike and airspace control”.
Taiwanese citizens remain calm
In Keelung, a city on Taiwan’s north coast and near two of the announced exercise areas, swimmers did their morning laps in a natural pool built into the ocean. Lu Chuan-hsiong, 63, was enjoying his morning bath, saying he was not worried. “Because Taiwanese and Chinese, we are all one family. There are many mainlanders here too,” he said. “Everybody should want money, not bullets,” he quipped, saying the economy isn’t doing so well. Front Burner22:18 Tensions in Taiwan as China reacts to US visit US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan may have been short, but it was not short on controversy. She is the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in decades — but many worry her visit will fan the flames of an already strained relationship between the self-ruled island and China, which claims Taiwan as its territory and opposes any involvement Taiwanese officials with foreign governments. Ahead of Pelosi’s visit, China has increased military drills near Taiwan, and Beijing has pledged to hold even more military drills in the coming days. Some experts are calling it the most dangerous escalation between the two regions since the 1990s. Today Washington Post Taipei-based Christian Shepherd explains how tensions between China and Taiwan got to this point and why the visit Pelosi’s was so controversial. Those who have to work in the ocean were more worried. Fishermen are likely to be most affected by the drills, which cover six different areas around Taiwan, some of which enter the island’s territorial waters. Most anglers will continue to try and fish as it is squid season. “It’s very close. This will definitely affect us, but if they want to do this, what can we do? We can just avoid this area,” said Chou Ting-tai, who owns a fishing boat. While the US has not said it will intervene, it has bases and is steadily developing in the region, including carrier battle groups. US law requires the administration to treat threats against Taiwan, including blockades, as matters of “serious concern”. On Thursday, the US Navy said the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan was operating in the Philippine Sea, east of Taiwan, as part of “normally scheduled operations”. Ma Chen-kun, a professor at Taiwan’s National Defense University, said the drills were intended to demonstrate the Chinese military’s ability to deploy precision weapons to sever Taiwan’s ties with the outside world and facilitate troop landings. ATTENTION l US commitment to democracy “ironclad”: Pelosi:
The US House Speaker leaves Taiwan after meeting with the island’s president
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she and other members of Congress on a visiting delegation were showing they would not abandon their commitment to Taiwan. The announced drills are “more comprehensive, and if the People’s Liberation Army invades Taiwan in an all-out invasion, the specific actions it will take are all in this particular drill,” Ma said. “The main thing is that they will cut Taiwan’s ties with the outside world, from their sea, they will suppress the firepower of the coastal defense,” he said. While China has not given any information on the number of troops and military assets involved, the drills appear to be the largest to take place near Taiwan in geographical terms. Troops from the navy, air force, missile force, strategic support force and logistics force participated in the drills, Xinhua reported.
