China has completed its four-day exercises, which began after the controversial visit to Taiwan by the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. However, he started new ones — not far away.
This is reported by The Guardian and Bloomberg.
During the four-day exercise, China tested ballistic missile launches over Taiwanʼs capital, Taipei, for the first time. Chinaʼs Peopleʼs Liberation Army noted its exercises focused on testing long-range air and ground strikes. A commentator on Chinese state television said the Chinese military would now conduct "regular" exercises on the Taiwanese side of the demarcation line, saying that "the historic task of Chinaʼs reunification [with Taiwan] can be realized."
Already on the morning of August 8, the Chinese military announced new exercises "near Taiwan." As part of them, Chinaʼs Peopleʼs Liberation Army practiced anti-submarine operations and air-to-sea strikes in "space near the island of Taiwan." The Regional Military Headquarters did not specify where the exercises were held or whether they were part of a four-day series of exercises around Taiwan.
Taiwanʼs Ministry of Defense stated separately that it detected several Chinese ships and aircraft in the Taiwan Strait on Monday, August 8. Of the 20 Chinese planes, 14 crossed the median line — what the Taiwanese military called a simulated attack on the island. 14 Chinese warships were also active. Taiwan has put jet planes into the air.
Also, on the evening of August 7, China announced another exercise — in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Bay. In the Yellow Sea, located between China and the Korean peninsula, there will be daily military exercises with live fire until mid-August. In addition, on Saturday, August 6, a month-long military operation began in one of the areas of the Bohai Gulf, near the eastern coast of China. Separate military exercises were also held in the northern part of the Bohai Bay.
Taiwan
It is a large island separated from mainland China by a strait. Taiwan declared its separation from China during the civil war in the region in 1949. Until 1971, Taiwan was the internationally recognized representative of China in the United Nations. Then most countries began to establish relations with Beijing and recognized its jurisdiction over Taiwan. Currently, the island state maintains diplomatic relations with only 15 countries, including the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Belize, Nicaragua, and only the Vatican from European countries. In January 2021, the United States of America decided to lift internal restrictions on cooperation with Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan its territory and hints at a possible military conquest of the island. The Taiwanese army will not be able to stand up to the Chinese army on its own, so the Taiwanese authorities hope for the quick protection of the US army. However, the participation of the Americans is not guaranteed.
- On August 3, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, arrived in Taiwan for an official one-day visit. She became the highest-ranking US politician to visit Taiwan since 1997. In protest, China imposed sanctions on Pelosi and began four days of exercises.