Communist China Conducts Simulated Attack Exercises Against Taiwan

In retaliation for a visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Communist China’s planes and warships simulated attack exercises on Saturday, Taiwan officials said.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense scrambled jets to warn 20 Chinese planes, of which 14 planes had crossed the median line between of the Taiwan Strait and Communist China. Besides, 14 Chinese warship were found manoeuvring near the Taiwan Strait.

Image Credit: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration. Image Source: telegraph.co.uk

The Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China said they would continue joint air-sea exercises in northern, southwestern and eastern Taiwan. The focus of the exercises is to test capabilities of the systems used for land and sea attack.

On Saturday afternoon, Chinese warships and aircrafts continued to “press” the median line of the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan considers any miliary activity past the line of the Strait as an act of aggression.

Shortly after Pelosi’s delegation left Japan on Friday, which was the final stop on her trip to Asia, Communist China announced it would halt dialogue with the United States in a range of areas, including interactions between theater-level military commanders and climate change.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken commented during his visit to the Philippines, that the U.S. would maintain a stable approach to the Taiwan situation and work to avoid escalation. Blinken said China’s suspension of bilateral dialogue in eight key areas was a move to punish the world, not just the United States.

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Blinken was spreading misinformation. Yi said, China is warning the United States not to act rashly and not to create a bigger crisis.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, told visiting U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres that he strongly condemned China’s missile launch during the military exercises. Kishida said the launch was a serious issue concerning Japan’s security and the safety of Japanese people.