Nancy Pelosi’s visit last week to the self-ruled island angered China, which responded by test-firing ballistic missiles over the island’s capital for the first time and cutting communications links with the United States. About 10 warships each from China and Taiwan sailed in close proximity in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line, an unofficial buffer that separates the two sides, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register As the Chinese forces “pushed” the line, as they did on Saturday, the Taiwanese side remained close to watch and, where possible, deny the Chinese the ability to cross. “Both sides are showing restraint,” the person said, describing the maneuvers as “cat and mouse” on the high seas. “One side is trying to get through, and the other is standing in the way and it forces them to a more disadvantageous position and eventually back to the other side.” Taiwan said its land-based anti-ship missiles and Patriot surface-to-air missiles are on standby. The Chinese drills, centered on six locations across the island, began on Thursday and are scheduled to last until midday on Sunday. China’s military announced Saturday that it is conducting joint sea and air drills north, southwest and east of Taiwan focused on testing land and sea attack capabilities. The United States called the exercises an escalation. “These activities are a significant escalation of China’s efforts to change the status quo. They are provocative, irresponsible and increase the risk of miscalculation,” a White House spokesman said. “It is also contrary to our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is what the world expects.”
“DAMAGE THE PEACE”
China cut off communication through various channels with the United States as part of its response to Pelosi’s visit, including between military theater orders and on climate change. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused China of taking “irresponsible” steps and moving away from prioritizing peaceful resolution towards the use of force. read more A woman looks at a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft flying over the 68 Nautical Mile Scenic Spot, one of the closest points of mainland China to Taiwan Island, on Pingtan Island, Fujian Province, China, 5 August 2022 REUTERS/Aly Song read more Taiwan’s military said on Saturday that the Chinese ships and planes taking part in the drills were conducting a simulated attack on the island that China claims as its territory. Taiwan’s defense ministry later said its forces scrambled with aircraft to warn away 20 Chinese aircraft, including 14 that crossed the median line. It also detected 14 Chinese vessels operating around the Taiwan Straits. The ministry released a photo showing Taiwanese sailors closely monitoring a nearby Chinese ship. Taiwanese forces on Friday fired flares to warn of drones flying over the Kinmen Islands and unidentified aircraft flying over the Matsu Islands. Both island groups are located off the coast of China. “China’s military exercises have unilaterally changed the current situation in the region and seriously damaged peace in the Taiwan Strait,” the ministry said.
“DO NOT ACT HASTLY”
Pelosi, a longtime critic of China and a political ally of US President Joe Biden, arrived in Taiwan late on Tuesday for the highest visit by a US official to the island in decades, despite Chinese warnings. She said her visit showed the unwavering commitment of the US to support Taiwan’s democracy. “The world is faced with a choice between autocracy and democracy,” he said. She also stressed that her trip was “not about changing the status quo in Taiwan or the region.” read more Taiwan has been self-governing since 1949, when Mao Zedong’s communists took power in Beijing after defeating Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist Kuomintang in a civil war, forcing them to retreat to the island. China says its relations with Taiwan are an internal matter and reserves the right to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary. Taiwan rejects China’s claims, saying only the people of Taiwan can decide their future. Speaking during a visit to the Philippines, Blinken said the United States was hearing concerns from allies about what he said were dangerous and destabilizing actions by China, but Washington had tried to avoid escalating the situation. He said China’s suspension of bilateral dialogue in eight key areas were moves that would punish the world. China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, told a news conference on Friday that Blinken was spreading “misinformation,” adding: “We want to warn the United States: Don’t act hastily, don’t create a bigger crisis.” China did not mention the suspension of military talks at the highest levels, such as with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley. Although those talks were rare, officials said they were important in an emergency. Japan’s defense ministry said in the latest pursuit five of the nine missiles fired toward its territory landed in its exclusive economic zone. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Yimou Lee in Taipei, David Brunnstrom in Manila, Brenda Goh in Shanghai, Meg Shen in Hong Kong, Jeff Mason in Washington; Additional reporting by Ryan Woo. Written by Tony Munroe and Greg Torode. Edited by Robert Birsel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
title: “Chinese And Taiwanese Warships Watch Each Other As They Are About To Finish Exercises " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-09” author: “Alexander Lewis”
Nancy Pelosi’s visit last week to the self-ruled island angered China, which responded by test-firing ballistic missiles over the island’s capital for the first time and cutting communications links with the United States. About 10 warships each from China and Taiwan sailed in close proximity in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line, an unofficial buffer that separates the two sides, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The island’s defense ministry said in a statement that several Chinese military ships, aircraft and drones were simulating attacks on the island and its navy. He said he had sent aircraft and ships to respond “appropriately”.
2 sides “show restraint”
As Chinese forces “pushed” the line, as they did on Saturday, the Taiwanese side remained nearby to watch and, where possible, deny the Chinese a chance to cross, the person said. “Both sides are showing restraint,” the person said, describing the maneuvers as “cat and mouse” on the high seas. “One side is trying to get through, and the other is standing in the way and it forces them to a more disadvantageous position and eventually back to the other side.” A marine vessel sails near the coast on Saturday in Hualien, Taiwan. China is conducting live-fire drills in waters near those claimed by Taiwan. (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images) Taiwan said land-based anti-ship missiles and Patriot surface-to-air missiles are on standby. The Chinese drills, centered on six sites around the island that China claims as its own, began on Thursday and were scheduled to last until noon on Sunday, the official Xinhua news agency reported last week. Taiwan’s transport ministry announced on Sunday afternoon that it was gradually lifting restrictions on flights through its airspace, saying the warnings about the exercises were no longer in effect.
The US calls the exercises an escalation
However, Taiwan will continue to direct flights and ships away from one of the drilling zones, which China has never confirmed, off its east coast until Monday morning, it said. China’s military said the joint sea and air exercises north, southwest and east of Taiwan focused on land and sea attack capabilities. The United States called the exercises an escalation. “These activities are a significant escalation of China’s efforts to change the status quo. They are provocative, irresponsible and increase the risk of miscalculation,” a White House spokesman said. “It is also contrary to our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which the world expects.” China says its relations with Taiwan are an internal matter and reserves the right to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary. Taiwan rejects China’s claims, saying only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
‘Drastic measures’
China has also warned the United States not to “act hastily” and create a bigger crisis. Referring to the response to Pelosi’s visit, the Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper said that China has adopted “effective measures that fully demonstrate that China is fully determined and capable of safeguarding national unity and safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Taiwan’s Prime Minister Su Cheng-chang told reporters that China had “arrogantly” used military action to disrupt the peace and called on Beijing not to flex its military might. Air Force personnel inspect a Taiwanese F-16 Fighting Falcon during landing at Hualien Air Base on Saturday. (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images) Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Saturday that its forces had scrambled jets to warn away 20 Chinese aircraft, including 14 that crossed the median line. It also detected 14 Chinese vessels operating around the Taiwan Straits. The ministry released a photo showing Taiwanese sailors monitoring a nearby Chinese vessel. As part of its response to Pelosi’s visit, China cut off communication through various channels with the United States, including between military theater commands and on climate change.
“The world faces a choice”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused China of taking “irresponsible” steps and moving away from prioritizing a peaceful resolution to the use of force. Pelosi, a longtime critic of China and a political ally of President Joe Biden, arrived in Taiwan late Tuesday for the highest visit by a US official to the island in decades, despite Chinese warnings. She said her visit showed the unwavering commitment of the US to support Taiwan’s democracy. “The world is faced with a choice between autocracy and democracy,” he said. She also stressed that her trip was “not about changing the status quo in Taiwan or the region.” Taiwan has been self-governing since 1949, when Mao Zedong’s Communists took power in Beijing after defeating Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang nationalists in a civil war, forcing them to retreat to the island. Speaking during a visit to the Philippines, Blinken said the United States was hearing concerns from allies about what he said were dangerous and destabilizing actions by China, but Washington had tried to avoid escalating the situation. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday accused Blinken of spreading “disinformation”.
