China started military exercises in six water areas around Taiwan
China started military exercises in six water areas around Taiwan
China began military exercises with live firing in six water areas around Taiwan after the visit of a U.S. delegation to the island. According to The Guardian, some of the areas in which the exercises will take place overlap with Taiwan’s territorial waters and are near key seaports.
According to an unnamed Taiwanese official, about ten Chinese navy ships briefly crossed the line separating the countries’ territorial waters. In addition, several Chinese aircraft also crossed the line, forcing Taiwan to deploy missile systems to track their activities. According to The Guardian, Taiwan’s military is “preparing for war without seeking war.
#UPDATE China begins its largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 4, 2022
Taiwan's defence ministry says it is closely watching the drills and that the island was prepared for conflict, but would not seek ithttps://t.co/XL8EoSrxMQ pic.twitter.com/1JWKs7YYhO
On Thursday, China announced “spot strikes” across the Taiwan Strait as part of a military exercise, noting that “the expected results have been achieved.
It is reported that the exercise affected 18 international routes: Taiwan authorities estimate that over the three days of the exercise, restrictions will affect 900 flights. According to the Vietnamese media, about 36 flights of Vietnam Airlines and 82 flights of VietJet were forced to change routes to Northeast Asia and North America to avoid the exercise.
China announced the four-day military drills after a U.S. delegation, including U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry warned that Beijing would view the visit as undermining its sovereignty and threatened Washington with serious consequences.
The Chinese authorities consider Taiwan their territory and declare their intention to reunite with it. The U.S. does not recognize Taiwan as an independent state, as do most UN countries, but it strongly opposes China’s threats to annex the island by force.