Taiwan has condemned its “bad neighbor” China for holding on Friday, the second day of Beijing’s largest ever military exercises around the island, despite condemnations from the United States and other Western allies.
“Several groups of aircraft and warships conducted exercises around the Taiwan Strait and crossed the midline of the strait,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said on Friday morning.
“This Chinese military exercise, whether launching ballistic missiles or crossing the midline of the strait, is an extremely provocative action,” he said.
The midline is an unofficial but generally accepted coordinate between the coasts of mainland China and Taiwan.
China began maneuvers on Thursday, launching ballistic missiles and deploying its aviation and ships to six maritime zones around Taiwan, to express anger after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
Beijing has not officially confirmed whether the missiles are flying over the island, and Taipei has declined to comment on the trajectory of the projectiles.
Despite warnings from Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory, Pelosi made a whirlwind visit to the island on Tuesday and assured that the United States would not “abandon” the autonomous island.
In response, the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) has declared several areas inaccessible for military maneuvers around Taiwan, including some of the world’s busiest trade routes.
Beijing described the maneuvers, which will continue until noon (local time) on Sunday, as a “necessary” response to Pelosi’s visit.
AFP journalists observed a fighter jet on Pingtan, a Chinese island close to the ongoing maneuvers, on Friday.
“Overreaction”
Washington accused Beijing of “overreacting” to Pelosi’s visit and warned that the aircraft carrier “USS Reagan” would continue to monitor Taiwan’s surroundings. White House spokesman John Kirby also announced that the US government has delayed an intercontinental missile test “to prevent further escalation”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that the maneuvers constituted a “significant escalation” in tensions. According to Blinken, Pelosi’s visit “does not justify” the exercises initiated by Beijing.
Taiwanese Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang urged allies to pressurize to de-escalate tensions. “We did not expect the bad neighbor next door to show his power at our doors and arbitrarily endanger the world’s busiest shipping lines with military exercises,” Su told reporters.
In Tokyo, the final stop of her Asian trip, Pelosi assured the United States that the United States would not “let” China isolate Taiwan. “They can try to prevent Taiwan from visiting or attending other places, but they will not isolate Taiwan by preventing us from traveling there,” he said.
China announced on Friday that it will cut cooperation with the United States on a number of issues, including the suspension of defense and climate talks, and impose sanctions on Pelosi and her close family “for seriously interfering in China’s internal affairs.”
Japan has called for an “immediate end” to the Chinese maneuvers after it said five missiles had landed in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and four could “fly over the island of Taiwan”.
Australia also described the military maneuvers as “disproportionate and destabilizing”.
flight diversion
The exercises take place on some of the busiest shipping lines on the planet that transport critical electronics from factories in Southeast Asia to world markets.
The Taiwan Maritime and Port Office has issued warnings for ships sailing through this area, and several international airlines have told AFP they will change their flights to avoid the island’s airspace.
“The closure of these sea lanes – even temporarily – has implications not only for Taiwan but also for trade flows linked to Japan and South Korea,” said Nick Marro, senior global trade analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
The hypothesis of an invasion of Taiwan with a population of 23 million is unlikely. But the threats have increased since the election of current president Tsai Ing-wen in 2016.
Tsai, who belongs to a pro-independence party unlike the previous government, refuses to acknowledge that the island and the mainland are part of “the same China”.
source: Noticias
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