Taiwan today condemned that Chinese military ships and planes once again crossed the midline of the Strait of Formosa in a “potential mock attack” within a military maneuver announced after US Legislature President Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island Is. ,
In a message published on its official Twitter account, the island’s Ministry of National Defense assured that the simulation of this attack would be aimed at “assets of high value”, without specifying further details in this regard.
A tourist faces the Taiwan Strait at one of the closest points to the island of Taiwan in mainland China, Pingtan Island, Fujian Province, China
In response, Taipei issued an alert and deployed aerial and naval patrols, as well as activating its land-based missile systems, as it strengthened “several” Chinese crossings of the strait’s midline yesterday. in the face of “provocation”. Ships and planes. This imaginary line across the strait has served as an unofficial but silently respected border for China and Taiwan for decades.
maximum tension
Tsai Ing-wen calls China’s military threat ‘irresponsible’
The movements of the People’s Liberation Army (EPL, Chinese Army) are part of the military exercise that has been underway since Thursday and will last until Sunday in retaliation for Pelosi’s visit, and which has now included live fire and the launch of long-range missiles.
These exercises take place in six areas around the island, one of them about 20 kilometers off the coast of Kaohsiung, the main city in southern Taiwan.
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Although China has conducted other exercises in the Taiwan Strait in recent years, this week’s exercises are different because “they cover a larger area, involve more military elements and are expected to be highly effective,” matters But Chinese experts told. by local media.
Taiwan has described China’s military presence in those areas as a “blockade” and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has called China’s “deliberately heightened military threat” “irresponsible”.
China, which described Pelosi’s visit as a “farce” and a “disgraceful betrayal”, claims sovereignty over the island and considers Taiwan a rebel province since the Kuomintang nationalists lost a civil war against the Communists in 1949. Later it was taken back there.
diplomatic crisis
Blinken admits that tensions between the US and China are “rising”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged this Saturday that “tensions” are rising between the United States and China, but advocated that the crisis should “maintain dialogue” and “open the doors to diplomacy” Quitting is especially important. ,
At a press conference in Manila, as part of his visit to Asia, Blinken said he has “a special interest” in maintaining the diplomacy of his country and the world and assured that the United States has “many issues” with China. conversation”. At a time when the world is cautiously watching a rise in tensions following a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
“I think it’s even more important to maintain dialogue when tensions between the two countries are rising and other countries expect us to continue,” he said.
