Rabat – Beijing has announced new air and sea military drills around Taiwan, continuing previous exercises held in protest of a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-ruled island.
China’s Eastern Theater Command announced drills focusing on anti-submarine and sea assault operations, confirming Beijing’s will to continue pressuring Taiwan’s defenses.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei on August 2, ignoring warnings from China, including a phone call from President Xi Jinping to Joe Biden.
The Chinese government responded to the visit last week by test launching ballistic missiles over Taipei for the first time, as well as cutting some of its lines of communications with Washington.
Pelosi, who has been an outspoken critic of China over the decades, became last week the highest-level American official to visit the self-ruled island in 25 years.
The US officially maintains a “One China” policy, under which it recognizes Taiwan as part of China, but it still maintains unofficial relations with Taipei. On the other hand, Beijing unambiguously considers Taiwan a part of China, not ruling out the possibility of taking the island by force.
According to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijiang, Pelosi’s visit “severely undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
US officials condemned the Chinese military exercises, describing them as an over-reaction. However, American lawmakers and commentators have been notably split on whether Pelosi’s visit was a positive firm stance in support of Taiwan or a reckless move.
