TE24 International Desk:
BEIJING – China said on Monday it was stepping up military drills around Taiwan. It has disrupted shipping and air travel and raised serious concerns about potential conflict in a region vital to world trade.
According to a social media post by the former leadership of China’s ruling Communist Party’s military, the People’s Collective Liberation Army, the exercise included a counterattack that was likely aimed at helping the United States in Taiwan in a possible scenario. chinese
aggression Includes submarine exercises. The military said the drills, which featured missile strikes, fighter jets and the movement of ships across the center line dividing the Taiwan Strait, were in response to a visit to the autonomous island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week.
China ignored calls for de-escalation and did not issue an immediate directive on when to end the blockade. Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Sunday it was conducting sea and air training with a total of 66 aircraft and 14 warships. Taiwan has put its military on high alert and is using ships, aircraft and other means to simulate attacks on Taiwan Island and our ships at sea. This issue has been tackled by monitoring Chinese aircraft, ships and drones
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s state-run Central News Agency reported that Taiwan’s military will conduct live-fire drills in southern Pingtung County on Tuesday and Thursday in response to China’s drills.
The drills included snipers, combat vehicles, armored vehicles and attack helicopters, the report said, citing unnamed sources. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and threatens to annex it by force if necessary. The two sides split in 1949 after a civil war, but Beijing sees foreign officials’ visits to Taiwan as recognition of its sovereignty.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called on the international community to support a democratic Taiwan and stop the escalation of the security situation in the region. Seven developed countries also criticized China’s move and the Chinese government canceled a meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
In retaliation for Pelosi’s visit, China halted defense and climate talks with the US and imposed sanctions. The Biden administration and Pelosi have said the United States is committed to the one-China policy.
However, the United States has criticized Beijing’s actions across the Taiwan Strait, with White House Press Secretary Caryn Jean-Pierre calling them “fundamentally irresponsible.
There is no need or reason for this increase, Jean-Pierre said. In Washington, Bikim Hsiao, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to Taiwan, said China had “no reason to be so angry over Pelosi’s visit, which follows a long tradition of US lawmakers visiting Taiwan.
We’ve been under threat from China for decades,” Xiao told CBS News after going to school on Sunday. They are trying to find ways to deal with bullies.
The danger comes from Beijing, Xiao said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who visited Myanmar, where a Chinese-backed military junta has been accused of killing its opponents, said Washington was seizing the opportunity to build up the government’s military presence in the region, saying China’s assertive stance was aimed at seriously supporting cross-strait peace and regional stability. State news agency Xinhua.
Contact Dr. Australia continues to urge self-restraint and Australia continues to call for de-escalation ‘, Wong told Canberra journalist Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the de-escalation.
