China’s stern warning to Taiwan: “Its collusion with outside forces will throw it into disaster”

China renewed its threat on Thursday attack taiwan after nearly a week of military exercises near the island. Taiwan called Beijing’s demands for autonomous democracy “wishful thinking” and launched its own exercises.

“(Taiwan’s) collusion with outside forces to seek its independence and provocation will only hasten its own death and throw Taiwan into the abyss of disasterChinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in his daily press conference.

“Taiwan’s pursuit of independence it will never be successful and any attempt to sell the national interest will be doomed to total failure, ” Wang said.

The Chinese attempt to intimidate Taiwanese public opinion and promote its strategy of blocking and potentially invading the island was apparently triggered by a visit to Taipei last week by the president of the United States House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosi.

Taiwan claims Beijing used Pelosi’s visit as a pretext to up the ante in its stalemate with Taipei by firing missiles into the Taiwan Strait and Pacific Ocean over the island. It also sent planes and ships to cross the midline of the strait, which serves as a buffer between the shores, separated in the midst of a civil war in 1949.

Taiwan’s Continental Affairs Council said in a press release that China is taking such steps ahead of the ruling Communist Party’s 20th National Congress, scheduled for later this year.

Party president and leader Xi Jinping is expected to be re-elected by the conclave a third five-year period. he directed a merciless repression of political figures accused of corruption, human rights activists and civil society groups.

The Chinese statement is “full of wishful thinking and ignores the facts,” the council said in its statement.

The “clumsy and clumsy political operations of the Beijing authorities once again reveal their arrogant thinking of attempting to invade and destroy the Taiwan Strait and regional peace,” he added.

Maneuvers in Taiwan

On Thursday, the Taiwanese military staged new live-fire drills after China concluded its largest-ever military exercises around it.

Lou Woei-jye, a spokesman for the Taiwan Eighth Army Corps, said his forces fired howitzers and rockets as part of a defensive exercise Thursday morning.

The exercise deployed in the southernmost part of the island, Pingtung, started at 08:30 local time and lasted an hour, he said. Tuesday I had already done another In the same place.

“We have two goals With the maneuvers, the first is to certify the proper conditions of the artillery and its maintenance, and the second is to confirm the results of last year, “added Lou.

Taiwan regularly conducts military exercises to defend against a Chinese invasion.

On Thursday, the island’s army said it had taken over 21 aircraft and six Chinese ships operating in the Taiwan Strait, without specifying if they were carrying out operations.

From them, 11 aircraft crossed the midline, an unofficial demarcation between China and Taiwan that Beijing does not recognize.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen thanked the troops during a visit to the Air Force headquarters Thursday.

“The Chinese military threat did not decrease“he said in a note posted on Facebook.

“We will not escalate the conflict or cause controversy, we will firmly defend our sovereignty and national security, and democracy and freedom at the forefront, “he added.

With information from the Associated Press and AFP

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