The Defense Ministry has said that Chinese military exercises near Taiwan have occupied its territory and blocked its sea and airspace.
The Chinese Navy and Air Force exercises are seen as a direct response to a 24-hour visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the most senior US lawmaker to visit the island in 25 years.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said China had broken UN rules and would counter any intrusion into its territory.
It said that live-fire exercises in the sea and airspace surrounding Taiwan were “jeopardizing international shipping lanes, challenging the international order, undermining the status quo in the Taiwan Straits and endangering the region.” were being”.
And it accused Beijing of using psychological warfare, urging people to report “fake news” to the authorities.
Taiwan News Live: Fears of Chinese aggression as tensions rise
Taiwan – one of the biggest global traders – has asked ships to find alternative routes and avoid Chinese drill areas for the next four days – from noon on Thursday until the same time on Sunday.
James Chatter, a Taipei-based freelance journalist and photographer, told Sky News that according to reports, live-fire exercises “are now taking place closer to 12 nautical miles from the Taiwan mainland”.
“This marks a significant escalation from any gray zone war that we typically see targeting China towards Taiwan on an almost daily basis,” he said.
Ms Pelosi had previously praised Taiwan for being “one of the world’s most independent societies” as she addressed the self-governing island’s parliament during a visit to Beijing.
“Today the world faces a choice between democracy and autocracy,” she said in a brief speech during a meeting with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in the capital Taipei on Wednesday.
She continued: “America’s determination to uphold democracy here, in Taiwan and around the world, is made of iron.”
A total of 21 Chinese warplanes, including 10 J-16 (above) and a KJ-500 AEW&C (below), have been seen participating in the exercise. Photos: Taiwan MOD/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock
Ms Tsai thanked Ms Pelosi for her concrete actions to support Taiwan and said the island would not back down as military threats escalate.
The Taiwanese leader also told Ms Pelosi that she was one of the island’s most devoted friends and thanked her for her unwavering support on the international stage.
Ms Tsai said Taiwan is a trusted partner of the United States and will continue to work with them to strengthen cooperation in security, economic development and supply chains.
Tensions have risen after tanks were sent to Xiamen City beaches in China’s Fujian province. Image: iPress News/Shutterstock
The US House speaker’s unannounced visit to Taiwan drew sharp criticism from China and prompted Beijing to summon the US ambassador.
Ms Pelosi arrived in Taipei late Tuesday, saying the visit reflects an unwavering US commitment to the island, which Beijing calls part of China.
“We commend Taiwan for being one of the most independent societies in the world,” Pelosi told Taiwan’s parliament.
He also said the new US law “provides greater opportunities for US-Taiwan economic cooperation” aimed at bolstering the US chip industry to compete with China.
A longtime critic of China, particularly on human rights, Ms Pelosi has reportedly been charged with a former Tiananmen Square activist, a Hong Kong bookseller who was detained by China, and a Taiwanese activist recently released by China. Was gone – before she left. South Korea is the next leg of the Asia tour which also includes Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
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US ‘steadfast’ to uphold Taiwan’s democracy
While Ms Pelosi is not the first House speaker to visit Taiwan – Newt Gingrich visited in 1997 – her visit has come as a sharp deterioration in relations between Beijing and Washington, and a much more powerful economic, military relationship with China. And there was geopolitical power. quarter of a century ago.
China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and opposes any engagement with foreign governments by Taiwanese authorities, has never denied using force to bring it under its control.
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China warns US ‘players with fire will be burned’ as Nancy Pelosi visits self-ruled island
The United States has warned China against using Ms Pelosi’s visit as an excuse for military action against Taiwan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on Wednesday that the military exercise is legitimate and is meant as a deterrent to Taiwan.
The Kremlin said the level of tension provoked by Ms Pelosi’s visit “should not be underestimated”.
Asked if the world was close to war, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters he was not in favor of using the term, but reiterated that the visit was a “provocation”.
He said no additional contacts are planned between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in light of the visit.
Earlier, China’s customs department announced the suspension of imports of citrus fruits, cool white striped hairtail and frozen horse mackerel from Taiwan.
The two sides, which split in 1949 after a civil war, have no official ties, but have multi-billion-dollar trading ties, particularly in the influx of Taiwanese-made processor chips needed by Chinese factories that make up the world. Let’s assemble smartphones and other electronics.
Beijing refrained from disrupting the chips trade and other industrial components.
Next to crude, chips are China’s biggest import at over $400bn a year.
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‘America is playing with fire and will burn’
On Tuesday, one of his country’s most senior diplomats, Beijing’s ambassador to London, warned the United States that it was making “extremely dangerous moves” on Taiwan and that “those playing with fire will be burned”.
Zheng Zheguang made the remarks at a hastily convened news conference to respond to Ms Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan in defiance of Chinese demands to stay away.
He said the visit was a “serious violation” of the long-standing “one China” principle, which means that democratically governed Taiwan should not be treated as an independent authority by the United States.
Mr Zheng also warned the UK not to “dance to the tune” of the United States.