Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register BEIJING, Aug 4 (Reuters) – China’s People’s Liberation Army has begun military exercises, including live firing in the waters and airspace surrounding the island of Taiwan, Chinese state television reported on Thursday. The exercises, spanning six locations, are scheduled to conclude at 12:00 p.m. (04:00 GMT) on Sunday. The drills followed US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, a trip condemned by Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as its own. Significantly, to the north, east and south, the exercise areas bisect Taiwan’s 12 nautical miles of territorial waters – which Taiwanese officials say defies international order and amounts to a blockade of its sea and airspace. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The sites encircle the island in an unprecedented formation, Meng Xiangqing, a professor at the National Defense University, told Chinese state television, describing how a real military operation against Taiwan could play out. “In fact, this has created very good conditions for us when, in the future, we reshape our strategic landscape that favors our integration,” Meng said. Chinese forces in two areas off Taiwan’s northern coast could potentially blockade Keelung, a major port, while they could launch strikes from an area east of Taiwan targeting military bases in Hualien and Taidong, he said. The “gates” to Kaoshiung could also be closed by the Chinese military off the southwest coast, Meng said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Ryan Woo. Edited by Jacqueline Wong & Simon Cameron-Moore Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
