Friday, March 29

China launches “unprecedented” military maneuvers around Taiwan after Pelosi’s visit and the US calls it “irresponsible”


Updated

Some maneuvers will be carried out 20 km from the coast of Taiwan and should end at noon on Sunday.

They throw eggs at a picture of Nancy Pelosi in Hong Kong.EFE
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China is scheduled to start today its most important military maneuvers in decades around taiwanin a show of force after the visit to the island of the president of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

The legislator abandoned taiwan Wednesday at the end a visit of less than 24 hours that infuriated Beijingwhich considers the island part of its territory.

Crisis

Pelosi, second in line of presidential succession, she is the highest-profile U.S. official to visit taiwan in 25 years.

He assured that his presence was to “make it clear, unequivocally,” that the United States will not abandon taiwan.

In response, China promised to punish those who offended him and announced military exercises in the waters around taiwanwhich include some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

The maneuvers, which should begin at 04:00 GMT on Thursday, involve “training activities” with live fire, according to an announcement in the state press.

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Some maneuvers will be carried out 20 km from the coast of taiwan and must conclude at noon on Sunday.

the state tabloid Global Times reported, citing military analysts, that exercises “unprecedented” and that for the first time missiles will fly over Taiwan.

“This is the first time the PLA has launched long-range real artillery across the Straits of taiwann”, according to the newspaper, in a reference to the People’s Liberation Army.

Taipi condemned the plans and warned that they threaten the security of East Asia.

“Some of the areas of Chinese maneuvers violate (…) territorial waters” of taiwanNo, Defense Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said on Wednesday.

The Group of Seven most industrialized countries They also condemned the plans, saying in a statement that “there is no justification for using a visit as a pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait.”

combat preparation

The Maritime and Port Office of taiwanOn Wednesday, n issued alerts to ships in the north, east and south of the country before the maneuvers.

“Ships must avoid areas of military maneuvers and use alternative routes,” the agency said.

Beijing defended the exercises, as well as other maneuvers carried out the last few days around taiwanas “just and necessary” and blamed the United States and its allies for the escalation.

“In the current fight for the visit of Pelosi a taiwanAmerica is the provocateur and China is the victim,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunyin.

“First came the joint provocation of the United States and taiwann, the just Chinese defense came later,” he added.

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A Chinese military source said the exercises would be held “in preparation for actual combat“.

“If Taiwanese forces come into contact with the PLA and accidentally fire a weapon, the PLA will take severe action and all consequences will be on the Taiwanese side,” the source added.

The US describes the maneuvers as irresponsible

A senior US official has described as irresponsible the military maneuvers undertaken by China in response to the visit of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives to taiwanand warned about the danger of the situation getting out of control.

“I think what China is doing here is not responsible,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview with National Public Radio.

“Whenever a military member participates in a series of activities that include the possibility of missile tests, live-fire exercises, or fighter planes that cross the sky and ships that move in the seas, the possibility of (that it happens) some kind of incident is real,” Sullivan said. urgent Beijing to de-escalate tensions in the Strait of taiwan.

“What we expect is that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) will act responsibly and avoid the kind of escalation that could lead to error or miscalculation in the air or on the seas,” the official added.

Pelosi travels taiwan on Wednesday, defying threats from Beijingwho considers the visit as a major provocation.

China reacted furiously, announcing “necessary and just” military exercises in the waters off the coast of Taiwan, some of the world’s busiest waterways.

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After Pelosi’s departure, the defense minister of taiwan announced that 27 Chinese fighter planes entered the island’s air defense zone.

In the last two years, Beijing has increased the number of military incursions into the defense zone of taiwan -a space larger than the airspace of the island- but it is still a relatively rare occurrence.

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