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China announces new military exercises in Taiwan beyond the deadline set last week after Pelosi's visit

2022-08-08T16:07:40.371Z


Biden shows his concern about Beijing's movements, although he trusts that the conflict will not worsen


The pressure of the People's Liberation Army (PLA, the Chinese Armed Forces) around Taiwan continues despite the criticism received from the authorities of the island and other countries.

China last week announced a series of military exercises in seven areas near ancient Formosa in response to a controversial visit to the region by Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives.

The maneuvers were to take place between Thursday and Sunday.

However, the Asian giant has maintained them this Monday, and has not yet communicated when it intends to end them.

Taipei has described the military exercises as a "

de facto air and sea blockade"

”.

In addition, this Monday Beijing has reported that it will carry out new war practices in the South China Sea and that they are added to those announced on Sunday in the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea.

The escalation has not prevented the visit to the island of Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, one of the 13 nations that maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei.

The PLA announced this Monday, through the Weibo (Chinese Twitter) social network, that it continues with "practical exercises in the air and maritime space around the island of Taiwan", which implies that the maneuvers with live fire have ended, but the pressure campaign will continue near Taiwanese waters.

According to the official statement, the exercises have focused on underwater operations and air strikes with target vessels.

Those from last week sought to "test joint fire capabilities for long-range ground and air attacks."

The Chinese military authorities have not specified the location of these additional exercises or whether the seven zones around the island in which China has deployed its Army remain in force.

One of these training areas is located just 20 kilometers from Kaohsiung, the main city in southern Taiwan.

For four days, Chinese planes and warships flew over and sailed closer than ever to Taiwanese territory.

The tests also included live fire and the launch of ballistic missiles, four of which flew over the capital, Taipei, for the first time.

In addition, five fell into Japanese waters, causing an official protest from the Japanese government.

Taiwan's Ministry of Defense reported that on Monday no Chinese military ships or aircraft had entered its territorial waters, which extend about 22 kilometers from the coast.

In the previous days, more than a hundred Chinese war vehicles crossed the dividing line, an unofficial border, but which until now was tacitly respected.

From the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense they have reiterated that the exercises of the Chinese Army seek to "undermine our morale and threaten national security."

The United States, Australia, Japan and the G7 have condemned the moves, describing them as unjustified.

They also consider that they seek to change the

status quo

of the Taiwan Strait, 180 kilometers of sea that separate the island and the mainland of China.

"I'm not worried," said US President Joe Biden.

“It makes me uneasy that they are making all those moves.

But I don't think [China] is going to go any further," added Biden, as he left the White House to visit those affected by the Kentucky floods,

reports Miguel Jiménez

.

For its part, Beijing maintains that it has been Pelosi with her visit that has altered the situation and asks the United States to assume responsibility.

The 82-year-old lawmaker is the highest-ranking US political figure to visit the island in 25 years.

In the eyes of the Asian giant, which considers Taiwan an inalienable part of its territory, the trip to Taipei by

number three

of the US government is an undermining of the

One China

principle , under which its diplomatic relations have been governed since 1979. The country also it has responded by sanctioning Pelosi and her close family, as well as freezing cooperation with the United States in key areas, such as climate change.

The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration has notified that new maneuvers will be carried out in the South China Sea between today and tomorrow, in addition to those announced yesterday in the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, which will last until August 15 and September 8, respectively.

In addition to military exercises, in recent days, Beijing has intensified its propaganda campaign in order to stoke nationalist sentiment.

The state television network is broadcasting documentaries praising the Army and disparaging Pelosi, while Communist Party newspapers have published several editorials stating that the drills will be more frequent: “They are a rehearsal of the reunification operations.

Amid the increased tension, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen received with military honors this Monday at her Presidential Office the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves.

This Caribbean nation is one of 13 (plus the Vatican) that maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan instead of China.

Before his trip, Gonsalves stated that "military exercises would not prevent him from visiting his friends in Taiwan."

In a speech delivered to Tsai, the Vincentian president stated that Taiwan and the Grenadines "are island nations that share values ​​in relation to the protection and promotion of democracy and human rights."

"We do not support any powerful neighbor who tries to intimidate," Gonsalves stressed on his eleventh visit to Taiwan as prime minister.

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-08-08

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