Yesterday, the Chinese army began the most important military maneuvers in its history in Taiwan in response to the visit of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to the island, which Beijing considers an integral part of its territory, and Taiwan has confirmed its readiness for war without looking for it. At the same time, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations warned of open conflicts in the region, calling for restraint, and the Chinese state television channel CCTV announced the start of the largest exercises in history organized by Beijing in the vicinity of the island. , which is required, and is stated in the published message of the channel. On the Weibo social network, “the exercise has begun.” Immediately after the start of the maneuvers, the Taiwanese army confirmed that it was “preparing for war without striving for it.” Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement, “The Ministry of National Defense confirms that it will adhere to the principle of preparing for war without seeking it.”
Notably, Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the Chinese-claimed region lasted less than 24 hours, but angered Beijing for being the highest elected U.S. official to visit Taipei in 25 years. The Chinese army agreed, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi replied, “Those who insult China will definitely be punished.”
The Global Times, citing military analysts, said the exercise will take place at an “unprecedented” range as missiles fly over Taiwan for the first time.
As a safety precaution, China’s Maritime Security Administration has banned ships from entering the relevant areas. The exercise will take place in a number of areas surrounding Taiwan, just 20 kilometers from the Taiwanese coast, and will continue until Sunday noon.
Missiles accurately hit targets
Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command, said, “Chinese forces have launched a conventional multi-role missile force attack on predetermined sea areas off the eastern part of the island of Taiwan.” .
Pelosi visited the buffer zone between the two Koreas
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is in Seoul, will visit the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korean official and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said in 2019.
Pelosi discussed the issue of North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs during a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo in Seoul, after the meeting, Kim Jin Pyo read out a joint statement expressing “concern about the dangerous side of North Korea is increasing.”
This year, North Korea conducted a record number of weapons tests, including the launch of a full-range ICBM for the first time since 2017, and Pelosi and Kim Jin-pyo called for a “strong and broad deterrence against North Korea” and said they would support the efforts of the two presidents to liberation of the country from nuclear weapons, and joint exercises were suspended, in particular due to Covid-19, and will resume the first joint exercises of this kind at the end of this month. United – but did not mention her visit to Taipei.
Southeast Asian Association calls for restraint
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers called for restraint as China conducts massive military exercises off the coast of Taiwan, warning that the situation could lead to “open conflicts” and ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Phnom Penh warned against any “provocative actions”. And in a joint statement, they said: “The situation could lead to destabilization of the region and, as a result, to miscalculations, dangerous confrontations, open conflicts and unpredictable consequences between major powers.”
European Union foreign policy spokesman Josep Borrell denounced the Chinese military maneuvers while saying there was “no reason” to use Pelosi’s visit to the island as an “excuse”. escalation will begin, and everything will return to normal in the Taiwan Strait.”
