The speaker of the United States House of Congress, Nancy Pelosi, yesterday visited Taiwan despite warnings from China that a visit to Taiwan is a threat to China’s territorial integrity.
Pelosi is the first sitting speaker of the house to travel to Taiwan in 25 years and Beijing has threatened “serious consequences” over her visit to the island, which China claims as its own.
The independence of Taiwan has been contested for decades. As at today, only 14 countries recognize it as an independent country, even the United Nations consider the island as an independent province of China.
China is planning to ramp up large-scale military drills around the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which began as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flew into Taipei for a visit that has angered Beijing.
The unprecedented six days of military exercises began on Tuesday night after Pelosi landed on the island, featuring J-20 stealth fighter jets and test firing of conventional missiles, according to the Global Times tabloid.
On Wednesday morning, it announced a series of trade restrictions, including a ban on sand exports and the import of certain foods.
They military exercises are a “stern deterrence” against the United States over Taiwan, and a “serious warning” for supporters of Taiwan independence, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman at the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement, according to the Global Times.
China Central Television (CCTV) aired video that showed J-20 stealth fighter jets participating in the Tuesday night drills.
On Wednesday, the Eastern Theater Command said a multi-force exercise involving the Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, Strategic Support Force and Joint Logistics Support Force took place in the air and sea to the north, southwest and southeast of Taiwan. They practised various exercises, including simulated sea and land attacks.
Many experts have said these events looked like what happened before the war between Russia and Ukraine took place, calling the move by Pelosi as careless and arrogant in the face of multiple global crisis.