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Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) — China announced on Monday that it was escalating threatening military exercises around Taiwan. This disrupted shipping and air traffic and greatly raised concerns about possible conflict in an area critical to global trade.
According to a social media post by the eastern leadership of the People's Liberation Army, the military arm of China's ruling Communist Party, the exercise will include anti-submarine training and will be carried out in the event of a possible Chinese invasion. It seems that the United States is aiming to support Taiwan. army.
The military said the exercise, which included missile strikes, fighter jets and the movement of ships across the midline of the Taiwan Strait that separates the two Straits, was in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the country. said it was compatible. You ruled an island last week.
China has ignored calls to de-escalate tensions and there was no immediate indication of when the equivalent of a blockade would end.
Taiwan's defense ministry said on Sunday it had found a total of 66 aircraft and 14 warships conducting air exercises with the navy. Taiwan has put its military on high alert and deployed ships, planes and other assets to "simulate attacks on our ships on the island of Taiwan and at sea." China's aircraft, ships and drones This was addressed by monitoring the
Meanwhile, Taiwan's state-run Central News Agency reported that Taiwan's military will conduct live-fire drills in southern Pingtung County on Tuesday and Thursday, following China's military drills. .
The exercises include snipers, combat vehicles, armored vehicles and attack helicopters, the report said, citing unnamed sources.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and threatens to annex it by force if necessary. Both sides split in her 1949 after the civil war, but Beijing regards a visit to Taiwan by a foreign official as an acknowledgment of its sovereignty.
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen called on the international community to "support a democratic Taiwan" and "stop the escalation of the security situation in the region." The seven developed countries have also criticized China's actions, and the Chinese government canceled a meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
China cut off defense and climate talks with the US and imposed sanctions in retaliation for Pelosi's visit.
The Biden administration and Pelosi say the United States remains committed to the One China policy. This would allow for strong informal and defense ties with Taipei while extending formal diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
However, the United States has criticized Beijing's actions in the Taiwan Strait, with White House Press Secretary Carine Jean-Pierre calling them "fundamentally irresponsible."
"There is no need or reason for this escalation," said Jean-Pierre.
In Washington, Taiwan's de facto ambassador, Bikim Shao, says there is no reason for China to be "so furious" over Pelosi's visit following a long tradition of US lawmakers visiting Taiwan. said.
"As you know, we have been threatened by China for decades," Xiao told CBS News on Sunday. “If a child is being bullied at school, don't tell them not to go to school. You try to find ways to deal with the bully.
' said Xiao.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who has visited Myanmar, where the Chinese-backed military junta has been accused of killing its opponents, said that Washington would "use the opportunity to build its military deployment in the region. and this is natural," he said. Strict vigilance and a firm boycott from all sides.
"China's resolute stance" aims to "seriously safeguard peace in the Taiwan Strait and regional stability," the state-run Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang as saying.
Meanwhile, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for easing tensions. “Australia continues to call for restraint and Australia continues to call for de-escalation. I'm looking for it," Wong said. Canberra reporter.
