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In retaliation to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, China has organized a series of military exercises around the island’s shores involving live fire, Xinhua News Agency reported. The announcement also states that “for security reasons, the entry of ships and aircraft over the aforementioned air and sea space is prohibited.”
According to the announcement of the Western Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, the exercises will take place north, southeast, and southwest of Taiwan’s coasts, and also in its airspace involving the firing of long-range munitions in the strait with China, as well as the testing of ballistic missiles in the waters east of the island.
From 12pm (Beijing Time) August 4 to 12pm August 7, 2022, the Chinese People's Liberation Army will conduct important #militaryexercises and training activities including live-fire #drills in the following maritime areas and their air space. https://t.co/r7kbACdrQl pic.twitter.com/UpoIO4xA9l
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) August 2, 2022
Pelosi arrived in Taiwan at 10:43 p.m. local Taiwan time at Taipei’s Sonshan Airport, kicking off the controversial visit, which Beijing has repeatedly said will be met with serious retaliation. Minutes after landing, Rep. Pelosi wrote on her Twitter account that her visit honors the United States’ unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy.
Pelosi’s visit is the first by a Speaker of the House since 1997, when Republican Representative Newt Gingrich traveled to the island.
The announcement of military maneuvers in retaliation for Pelosi’s visit comes at a time when the war between Ukraine and Russia is still raging in Europe, while the world is facing an energy and food crisis. The timing of Pelosi’s visit adds further tensions to the already deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington.
As China announces military maneuvers, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan—capable of carrying more than 90 F-35 fighter jets, among other aircraft—along with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli sail near the coast of Taiwan.
According to the latest USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker update, which is a publication of the independent military association Naval Institute, there is another U.S. vessel, the USS America, on its way, but it recently departed the port of Sasebo in Japan.
Suspiciously, the website of Taiwan’s presidential office suffered a brief cyber-attack, which took it offline for more than 20 minutes. Additionally, China has halted the import of numerous products from Taiwan in response to Pelosi’s visit.
Economist, writer and liberal. With a focus on finance, the war on drugs, history, and geopolitics // Economista, escritor y liberal. Con enfoque en finanzas, guerra contra las drogas, historia y geopolítica