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China has been angered by the visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
Nancy Pelosi is the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in the past 25 years.
China considers Taiwan its territory and opposes its relations with foreign governments.
Taipei. China’s military on Sunday took part in exercises focused on ground strikes and long-range air strikes around Taiwan. This military exercise was started by China after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. According to a CNN report, the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command said around noon local time that it had conducted live-fire exercises “as planned” in waters and airspace around Taiwan.
In a statement posted on its official account on social media platform Weibo, the command said, “The study focused on joint fire land strike and long-range air strike capabilities.” Chinese state media reported that the study is planned to be conducted in six areas around the island. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that it had detected several Chinese aircraft, naval ships and drones in the vicinity of the Taiwan Strait.
The ministry said Taiwan’s military was “monitoring” the situation and deployed aircraft and ships to “appropriately” respond to Chinese military exercises around the island. The ministry did not provide the exact number of Chinese planes, ships or drones seen on Sunday morning. It also did not say whether they crossed the sensitive midline in the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from the Chinese mainland.
China is conducting military exercises on an “unprecedented scale” in response to the recent visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. Pelosi is the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in the past 25 years. China considers Taiwan its territory and opposes its relations with foreign governments.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on August 5, saying Pelosi had ignored China’s concerns and opposition to his visit to the self-governing island. Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan provoked action in the statement. It said the move was against China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
China’s claim that Taiwan is its territory and threats to control it by force have been prominently featured in the ruling Communist Party’s propaganda, penal system and entirely state-controlled media for the past seven decades. The two sides parted ways in 1949 amid civil war. However, Taiwanese residents strongly support maintaining the status quo of the self-governing island. They are against Beijing’s demand for Taiwan to be included in mainland China under communist rule.
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tags: china, Taiwan
First published: Aug 08, 2022, 01:21 IST
