Chinese planes and warships crossed the 'midline' of the Taiwan Strait
on the second day of full-scale military exercises in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei. the island has defined the latest maneuvers as "highly provocative".
Starting at 11 local (there were 5 in Italy), "more Chinese warplanes and warships conducted exercises around the Taiwan Strait and crossed the midline of the Strait," the ministry said.
The US "will not allow" China to isolate Taiwan, said the US speaker, in Tokyo for the last leg of her tour in Asia.
"They may try to prevent Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places, but they will isolate it by preventing us from traveling there. We have had high-level visits, senators in the spring, continuous visits
and we will not allow them to isolate Taiwan
," added Pelosi. whose visit to Taipei infuriated Beijing which launched military maneuvers around the island.
Pelosi and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed on the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Pelosi did not comment directly on the exercises, but reiterated that his visits to Asian countries, including Taiwan, "were not about changing the status quo" in the region.
Pelosi spoke after meeting with Kishida, who called the launching of Chinese missiles a "serious problem that has an impact on our national security and the safety of our citizens".
Tokyo, which has called for an "immediate end" to the maneuvers, claims that 5 missiles have landed in its exclusive economic zone.
For its part,
the president of Taiwan Tsai
he judged China's launching of missiles near the busy international air and sea routes around the island "irresponsible", urging Beijing to act with greater self-control: Taiwan will not feed tensions, but will defend sovereignty.
Tsai urged the international community to support Taiwan's democracy and oppose "China's unilateral and irrational military action", adding that Taipei seeks to work with area countries and democratic partners around the world to maintain peace. in the Indo-Pacific region.
The president, who warned the population of the dangers of the information war initiated by China with cyber attacks and the dissemination of false information,
China kicked off the exercises yesterday, which will close on Monday, in response to Pelosi's 19-hour visit to Taipei, which Beijing considers an "inalienable" part of its territory, to be reunified even by force, if necessary.
Meanwhile,
Singapore Airlines cancels flights to and from Taiwan
due to "increasing airspace restrictions" due to dangerous Chinese military exercises in the Taiwan Strait.
"The safety of our staff and passengers is our priority," said the airline spokesperson in an interview with CNA Asia.
