Taiwan says Chinese military drills appear to simulate attack on autonomous island

Taiwan announced on Saturday thatChina'smilitary exercises simulated an attack on an autonomous island after several Chinese warships and aircraftcrossed Taiwan's center line. The strait following a visit to Taipei by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said that the United States

According to Taiwan's Ministry of Defense, Taiwan's military has raised alarms, dispatched air and sea patrols around the island, and activated land-based missile systems in response to China's exercises. As of 5 p.m., 20 Chinese aircraft and 14 ships were said to be conducting naval and air exercises around the Taiwan Strait.

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"Seriously undermined the peace" by China as a no-go zone during exercises for other ships and aircraft. The Taiwanese military did not seek war, but emphasized to prepare and respond accordingly.

China's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that military exercises had been held as planned in the north, southwest seas and airspace. , and east of Taiwan and are focused on "testing the capabilities" of land- and sea-attack systems.

After Pelosi's visit to Taiwan earlier this week, China launched live-fire military exercises, which it said violated its "One China" policy. China views the island as a separate province to be annexed by force if necessary, and views any visit to Taiwan by a foreign official as an acknowledgment of its sovereignty.

READ MORE: China suspends talks with US, sanctions Pelosi from visiting Taiwan

Taiwan military also said it detected four unmanned aerial vehicles Friday night, and vehicles flying near Kinmen's offshore county fired warning flares in response.

 Taiwan believed his four drones to be Chinese, according to Taiwan's Kinmen Defense Command, near Kinmen Islands and nearby Lianyu. It was found in the waters around the island and Beiding Island.

Kinmen, also known as Kemoy, is a cluster of islands just 10 km (6.2 miles) east of the Chinese coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian Province, Taiwan in the Straits of

Following President Pelosi's visit, China conducted live ballistic missile exercises off the coast of Taiwan

"My government & forces are conducting live ballistic missile exercises off the coast of Taiwan in response to President Pelosi's visit. & We are closely monitoring war operations and are ready to respond if necessary,” said Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in a tweet.

"I advocate to the international community the security situation in the democratic Taiwan & region. I call on you to support stopping the deterioration of the disease," she added.

Chinese military exercises are expected to begin Thursday and continue through Sunday. Previous drills have included training to the north and south of the island, as well as the last large-scale Chinese military drills conducted in 1995 and 1996, with the aim of intimidating Taiwan's leaders and voters. Includes missile attacks on targets in the South Seas.

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Taiwan put its military on alert, conducted civil defense exercises, and the United States deployed a number of naval assets to the region.

The Biden administration and Pelosi say the United States remains committed to the "One China" policy. The policy recognizes Beijing as the Chinese government, but allows for unofficial and defense ties with Taipei. The administration was discouraged, but did not prevent Pelosi's visit.

China also cuts off defense and climate talks with US and imposes sanctions on Pelosi in retaliation for visit did.

Pelosi said Friday in Tokyo, the final stop on her Asian tour, that China would isolate Taiwan by blocking US officials from traveling to Taiwan. said it can't be done.

READ MORE: Nancy Pelosi's mother on Taiwan-China tensions on South Korea visit

Pelosi longtime supporter China's human rights issues. Together with other lawmakers, she visited Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1991 to support democracy.

Meanwhile, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency, a cyberattack aimed at taking down Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website was similar to a similar attack prior to Mr Pelosi's visit. By comparison, it doubled from Thursday to Friday. The ministry did not specify the source of the attack.

Other ministries and government agencies, such as the Ministry of Interior, also faced similar attacks on their websites, according to reports.

A distributed denial of service attack aims to overload a website with requests for information, eventually crashing the website and rendering it inaccessible to other users.

White House says US will continue efforts to maintain communication with Beijing as China suspends dialogue

Also Saturday , Central News Agency Taiwan Ou Yang Li-hsing, of the research and development unit of the Ministry of Defense, was found dead in his hotel room after suffering a heart attack. By his 57th year, he had overseen several missile production projects.

Reportedly, there were signs of a break-in in the hotel room in southern Pingtung County where he was traveling. I couldn't.

An overwhelming majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the island's status quo of de facto independence, rejecting China's demands to unify the island with the mainland under communist rule.

Globally, most countries agree to the One China policy. This is a requirement for maintaining diplomatic relations with Beijing.

China warns Pelosi "will not stand by" if Pelosi visits Taiwan, says US "will not be intimidated"

Any company that does not recognize Taiwan, which is part of China It has faced swift backlash, including promises to boycott its products.

On Friday, Mars Wrigley, maker of Snickers candy bars, cited Taiwan as a country, prompting criticism from Chinese users.

In a statement on its Weibo account, the company said it "deeply apologizes."

"Mars Wrigley respects China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity and operates in strict compliance with China's local laws and regulations," the statement said.

The company said in a separate post, "China has only one," adding that "Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory."

© 2022 The Associated Press