China fires three-day military drills at Taiwan

At noon Beijing time, the People’s Liberation Army began its largest military exercise near Taiwan on Thursday (Aug 4). Chinese air force helicopters flew over Pingtan Island in Fujian province towards Taiwan, according to footage from AFP reporters on the ground, and a precision missile strike was launched.

Chinese warships and warplanes threatened to disrupt three days of exercises in six areas around the island of Taiwan after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi walked out after talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Maritime traffic in the Taiwan Strait, and significant risks of military expansion. In fact, the areas selected by Chinese civil servants for exercises occupy Taiwan territorial waters (20 kilometers around the coast).

“Irrational Action”

Arrival of M.^me Pelosi, the highest-ranking US representative to visit Taiwan in 25 years, has drawn strong protests from China. Arrival in Beijing “severely affected the political foundation of Sino-US relations and gravely violated China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, It stressed the statement of the Ministry of External Affairs on August 2. Beijing has issued warnings to the US and Taiwan “Serious Consequences” But it is above all an independent island that Beijing claims sovereignty over, angering China. In two separate press releases, the leaders of the G7 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rich nations expressed their concern and called for de-escalation of tensions.

On Wednesday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry protested: “Some of China’s Maneuvering Areas Encroach on Taiwan’s Territorial Sea.” Taiwan Defense Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said. “An irrational act aimed at challenging the international order”. In two separate statements, the leaders of the G7 and ASEAN’s wealthiest nations, meeting in Phnom Penh this time in the presence of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, expressed their concern and called for scaling back the expansion. Tensions. On Thursday morning, Taiwan clarified its approach: “The Ministry of National Defense insists on respecting the policy of preparing for war without resorting to war. » The ministry also indicated that Taiwan’s military fired a flare overnight Wednesday to Thursday to move the drone flying over Kinmen Island, a small Taiwanese territory less than 10 kilometers off the Chinese coast.

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