Beijing responded by announcing a series of live-fire naval and air force training centers around the island. The high schools will include launching “long-range live fire” into the Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from the mainland.
Taiwan ‘will not back down’ in the face of the threat of Chinese weapons, he said today the president of the island, Tsai Ing-wenas Beijing announced series military academies using live fire on its outskirts in the middle of the visit made by the president of the American House of Representatives, the Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
“Despite deliberately heightened military threats, Taiwan will not back down. We will continue to defend democracy,” Ms. Tsai said during an event in Taipei with Ms. Pelosi in attendance.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Taiwan announced that China’s high schools threaten ports and key urban areas on the islandpromising that defenses would be “strengthened” and that there would be a “robust” response.
High schools are “attempt to threaten our major ports and urban centers and unilaterally undermine peace and stability in the region“, the ministry claimed.
China’s political leadership has made no secret of its anger at Ms Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory, destined to be “reunified” with the mainland, by force if necessary.
Real fire
In response, Beijing announced a series of live-fire naval and air force training courses around the island.
High schools will include throws “long range real fire” in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from the mainland.
In some locations, Chinese businesses will reach 20 kilometers from Taiwan’s coastlinebased on the coordinates announced by the People’s Liberation Army.
Faced with the risk of war breaking out from a miscalculation, Taiwanese government officials tried to appear decisive while keeping the population cool.
“The Ministry of Defense is closely monitoring the situation, has strengthened its preparations and will react in an appropriate manner at the time it deems appropriate.“, he said.
The army will “stay put and protect national security. We request the public to remain calm and support the armed forces».
On the night of Tuesday into Wednesday, the authorities announced that 21 Chinese military aircraft intruded into the air defense identification zone (or ADIZ, from the acronym of the term air defense identification zone in English), which is however much larger than Taiwan’s airspace.
On the other side of the strait, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced economic sanctions, such as in particular the suspension of sand exports to Taiwan. It is a key raw material for the manufacture of semiconductors, one of the main export products of the island.
On her part, Japan expressed “concern” about Beijing’s “targeted military actions” in retaliation for Ms Pelosi’s visit, some of which will take place inside Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Tokyo has “expressed its concern” to Beijing given the “nature of the military activities” which will include “real fire”, explained Hirokazu Matsuno, a spokesman for the Japanese government.
Nancy Pelosi earlier said in a speech to Taiwan’s parliament that she went “peacefully” to the region as a “friend”.
“Egregious Violation”
“We come as friends to Taiwan, we come in peace to the region”, said the speaker of the US House of Representatives, who has been visiting the island for 25 years. Praise Taiwan for what it is “one of the freest countries in the world.”
The 82-year-old speaker of the House of Representatives, third in line to succeed President Joe Biden if required, had not announced her visit to Taiwan, but it had been the subject of intense scripting for several days and provoked a reaction from Beijing before it even took place.
Upon the arrival of Mrs. Pelosi in Taiwan, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced a “flagrant violation” of American commitments to China that “deal a serious blow to the peace and stability of the region.”
He summoned the US ambassador to Beijing, Nicholas Burns, and China’s Vice Foreign Minister Xie Fang expressed his country’s “strong protest”, declaring that Ms Pelosi’s “initiative” to go to Taiwan “is extremely shocking and the consequences will be very serious,” according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.
The island of 23 million inhabitants has been administratively independent since the end of the civil war (1949), but Beijing intends to reintegrate it into its territory and opposes any international legalization of its government.
“Don’t play with fire”
US officials frequently visit the island and Washington is Taiwan’s largest arms supplier. But Ms. Pelosi’s visit was seen as a major challenge by China.
Last week, during the telephone conversation between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, the Chinese president warned the US not to “play with fire”.
The previous Speaker of the House of Representatives to visit Taiwan was Newt Greenwich in 1997.
Officially, since 1979, Washington has recognized only one Chinese government, the one in Beijing, although it plays the role of Taipei’s protectorate.
The US has a policy of “strategic ambiguity”, avoiding making clear whether or not it will defend Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese invasion, and the White House has been quick to reaffirm it after recent statements by Mr Biden that appeared to cast doubt on it. .
China’s ally Russia yesterday accused the US government of “destabilizes the world” and characterized “pure challenge” Mrs. Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
North Korea, also an ally of China, expressed its “full support”, speaking of “reckless interference” in the “internal affairs” of other states by the US and of “political and military provocations” that are, according to it, ” root cause” of challenging “peace and security in the region,” a Pyongyang diplomatic spokesman told the official KCNA news agency.
RES-EMP
View the news feed and get the latest news.
_164327.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
