CHINA BEGINS MILITARY ACTIONS IN TAIWANESE WATERS AFTER US SPEAKER DEFY EARLIER WARNINGS.
Written by AIGBOKHAEBHO OKHUELEIGBE on August 4, 2022
China claimed its military successfully executed “precision missile strikes” in the Taiwan Strait Thursday, a day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit.
China repeatedly condemned Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. China claims that Taiwan is an extension of its territory, and has since threatened to take action. On her final day in Taiwan, China’s navy and air force began conducting military exercises in six zones around Taiwan, with some overlapping Taiwan’s territorial waters.
China Military is running live-fire combat training in the Taiwan Strait, a narrow disputed body of water between mainland China and Taiwan.
The military is reportedly practicing blockades at sea and missile launches, as well as combat on land. The Chinese military is utilizing advanced technology in the drills, including J-20 stealth fighter jets and DF-17 hypersonic missiles.
People’s Liberation Army launches joint military operations around Taiwan Island. (People’s Liberation Army, China).
Chinese military official Song Zhongping told the nation’s state tabloid, the Global Times;
In the event of a future military conflict, it is likely that the operational plans currently being rehearsed will be directly translated into combat operations. It means that our battle plan has been made clear to the U.S. and the Taiwan authorities, and we are confident enough to inform them of the consequences of further provocation in this way.
The United States will “pay the price” if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan during her Asia trip, China warned Tuesday, as tensions between the two superpowers continued to soar.
The US side will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China’s sovereign security interests,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing earlier in Beijing.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said “the US breach of faith on the Taiwan issue is despicable” in comments published on his ministry’s website Tuesday that did not specifically mention Pelosi.
The Chinese government had made it clear in a call with US President Joe Biden last week. China warned the United States against what it termed “playing with fire” on Taiwan.
While the Biden administration was understood to be opposed to a Taiwan stop, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby had said Ms. Pelosi was entitled to go where she pleased. He told reporters;
There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with longstanding US policies into some sort of crisis.
After concluding her one-day visit to Taiwan, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi departed for South Korea on Wednesday, as part of her ongoing Asian tour.
According to a press release by her office, Pelosi is also slated to visit Japan and Singapore following her trip to South Korea. Meanwhile, the South Korean leadership has urged dialogue in order to safeguard regional peace and stability amid escalating hostilities between the US and China over Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan.
