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☆ Taiwan says Chinese planes crossed median line, China carries out landing drills
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan's defense ministry said on Friday it had detected a renewed incursion by Chinese military aircraft across the sensitive Taiwan Strait, as China reported its navy had carried out combat drills with landing craft. Taiwan's defense ministry said on Friday it had detected a renewed incursion by Chinese military aircraft across the sensitive Taiwan Strait, as China reported its navy had carried out combat drills with landing craft. The median line is used to serve as an unofficial border between the two sides, but Chinese military aircraft now regularly cross it. Taiwan said on Thursday that China had carried out a "joint combat readiness patrol" near the island for the second time in a week. China's defense ministry did not answer calls seeking comment on Friday, the country being in the middle of its Labor Day holiday.

Organizations: Labor, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army Locations: Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taipei, Keelung

☆ U.S. Navy sends first warship through Taiwan Strait post-election
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A view of the US Navy's aircraft carrier the USS Gerald R. Ford, the 'world's largest warship.' The United States Navy sailed its first warship through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Wednesday following presidential and parliamentary elections on the island, drawing the ire of Beijing. The U.S. Navy said the destroyer USS John Finn transited through a corridor in the Taiwan Strait that was "beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state". "John Finn's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle," the U.S. Navy said in its statement. The U.S. Navy's last announced passage of a warship through the strait was in early November, joined that time by a Canadian frigate.

Persons: Gerald R, Ford, John Finn, John, Navy's, Mario Diaz Balart, Ami Bera Organizations: United States Navy, The U.S . Navy, U.S . Navy, U.S ., Eastern Theatre Command, U.S . House, Representatives Taiwan Caucus, Republican, Democratic Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, The, John Finn's, United States, U.S, Canadian, Taipei, China

☆ China says sends fighter jets to warn US Navy plane in Taiwan Strait
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 12 (Reuters) - China said on Thursday it had sent fighter jets to monitor and warn a U.S. Navy patrol aircraft that flew through the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan and the United States dispute that, saying the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway. China's military described the flight as "public hype", adding it had sent fighters to monitor and warn the U.S. plane. China stages almost daily military activities of its own in the Taiwan Strait and seas and skies around Taiwan. The United States last announced a Poseidon mission through the strait in July.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Ben Blanchard, Kim Coghill, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Navy, Navy, Troops, Eastern Theatre Command, People's Liberation Army, U.S, United States, Beijing, Thomson Locations: China's, Taiwan, Fujian province, China, Rights BEIJING, Taiwan Strait, United States, U.S, Navy's, Taipei

☆ Two elves and a scroll: China military releases animation on Taiwan 'reunification'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The shorter piece of the scroll, known as "The Remaining Mountain", about 51 cm long, is at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou city. Taiwan's National Palace Museum has kept the 640-cm long "Master Wuyong Scroll" since the 1950s. The two pieces were reunited in 2011 when China lent its fragment to the Taiwanese museum for two months during a period of warmer relations as Taiwan pursued a policy of economic rapprochement with China. But in recent years, as relations have cooled, China has ramped up military activities around Taiwan, including drills over the past month that Beijing said were targeted at combating separatist forces. While China is keen to woo Taiwan with promises of economic gains, the threat of taking Taiwan by force is unrelenting.

Persons: Huang Gongwang, Pichi Chuang, Yuan, Ryan Woo, Robert Birsel Organizations: National, Museum, REUTERS, Rights, Eastern Theatre Command, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, Eastern, Command, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Rights BEIJING, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taiwan Strait, Hangzhou city, Taiwan's, Fujian

☆ Taiwan raises concerns about situation 'getting out of hand' with China drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has in recent years carried out many such drills around the island, seeking to assert its sovereignty claims and pressure Taipei. Warships from China's southern and eastern theatre commands have been operating together off Taiwan's east coast, he added. China has not commented about the drills around Taiwan, and its defence ministry has not responded to requests for comment. Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang added that China's Eastern Theatre Command forces were the "attacking force", simulating a battle scenario. China normally performs large-scale exercises from July to September, Taiwan's defence ministry has said.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Chiu Kuo, cheng, Chiu, Sun Li, Ben Blanchard, Roger Tung, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Air Force, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, PLA, REUTERS, Rights, Taiwan Defence, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, China, Rights TAIPEI, Shandong, Taipei

☆ Taiwan Raises Concerns About Situation 'Getting Out of Hand' With China Drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has in recent years carried out many such drills around the island, seeking to assert its sovereignty claims and pressure Taipei. Warships from China's southern and eastern theatre commands have been operating together off Taiwan's east coast, he added. China has not commented about the drills around Taiwan, and its defence ministry has not responded to requests for comment. But China has increasingly been flexing its muscles off Taiwan's east coast, and generally displaying its ability to operate much further away from China's own coastline. China normally performs large-scale exercises from July to September, Taiwan's defence ministry has said.

Persons: Chiu Kuo, cheng, Chiu, Sun Li, Ben Blanchard, Roger Tung, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Taiwan Defence, Eastern Theatre Command Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, Shandong, China, Taipei

☆ China's military rocket force uncovers 'shortcomings' - PLA Daily
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 15 (Reuters) - A unit of China's Rocket Force uncovered "shortcomings" during a field assessment of an exercise, the PLA Daily reported on Friday in a rare critique, suggesting gaps in combat readiness at the armed force overseeing conventional and nuclear missiles. The combat readiness of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, a strategic branch of the Chinese military, has come under focus recently after its two most senior leaders were suddenly replaced at the end of July with commanders not from the force. Since August, the Rocket Force has conducted at least two drills and training sessions, according to its official account on Weibo, a popular Chinese microblog. In the year to date, Communist Party members of the Rocket Force have visited the front lines of drills and exercises "multiple times" to assess the unit's combat readiness, according to the PLA Daily. The uncertainties over leadership have not been solely focused on the Rocket Force.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Xi Jinping, Li Shangfu, Ryan Woo, Lincoln Organizations: Rocket Force, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, PLA, REUTERS, Rights, China's, Force, Communist Party, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, Party, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Weibo, Heilongjiang

☆ US, Canadian warships transit Taiwan Strait in latest joint mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Sept 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. and a Canadian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, the U.S. Navy said, marking the second such joint mission since June and coinciding with the leaders of both countries attending the G20 summit in India. "Ralph Johnson and Ottawa's bilateral transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the U.S. Navy added in a statement. China's military condemned the transit as is usual with such missions, accusing the ships of carrying out "public hyping" in the strait, which separates Chinese-claimed Taiwan from China. Taiwan's defence ministry said the ships sailed in a southerly direction and that it had observed nothing unusual. While U.S. warships transit the strait around once a month, it is unusual for them to do so with those of other allies.

Persons: Ralph Johnson, Canada's, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Ben Blanchard, Alexander Smith Organizations: U.S . Navy, Navy's, Fleet, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, U.S, Canadian, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, U.S, Canadian, Taiwan Strait, India, The U.S, Ottawa, Taiwan, United States, China, New Delhi

☆ Taiwan details China drills, VP says election not China's to call
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Ben Blanchard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai waves at Taoyuan International Airport following his trip to the United States and Paraguay, in Taoyuan, Taiwan August 18, 2023. "My position is that Taiwan is not a part of the People's Republic of China. China has demanded that Taiwan's government accept that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of "one China", but it has refused. LOWER-KEY DRILLSChina's Saturday drills were much more low-key than two rounds of war games around Taiwan last August and again in April this year. Taiwan's military also released pictures of one of its fighter jets taking off and a pilot checking a missile underneath an aircraft.

Persons: William Lai, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Lai, Su, It's, That's, Taiwan's, Alexander Neill, Neill, lambasting Lai, Tian Dan, Ben Blanchard, Greg Torode, James Pomfret, William Mallard, Kim Coghill, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Democratic Progressive Party, APEC, Hawaii's, Eastern Theatre Command, Sunday, Taiwan, State Department, Reuters, Thomson Locations: United States, Paraguay, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Rights TAIPEI, China, Beijing, New York, People's Republic of China, San Francisco, Singapore, U.S, Hong Kong

☆ US urges China to cease military pressure against Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A screen broadcasts news footage of an Air Force aircraft taking part in military drills by the Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) around Taiwan, in a shopping area in Beijing, China August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. urged China on Saturday to stop pressuring Taiwan, after Beijing launched military drills around the democratically governed island in response to Taiwan Vice President William Lai's U.S. visit. "We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan," a State Department spokesperson told Reuters in a statement. The U.S. would continue to monitor the exercises closely, the department statement said. Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, William Lai's, Michael Martina, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Air Force, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, PLA, REUTERS, Rights, Taiwan, State Department, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, China, U.S

☆ China launches drills in angry response to Taiwan vice president's trip to U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. says it's closely monitoring China's drills around Taiwan after Beijing began three days of military exercises around the island. Greg Baker | AFP | Getty ImagesChina launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a "serious warning" to separatist forces in an angry but widely expected response to Vice President William Lai's visit to the United States, drawing condemnation from Taipei. Taiwan's government strongly condemned the drills, with the defense ministry saying it had the ability, determination, and confidence to ensure national security. "The Republic of China, Taiwan, is a sovereign country and has a legitimate and legal right to conduct normal diplomatic interactions with friendly countries," it added in a statement, using the island's formal name. Taiwan's defense ministry released a short video of undated footage showing Taiwanese forces at sea, on city streets and across the countryside.

Persons: Greg Baker, William Lai's, Joseph Wu, Joe Biden Organizations: PLA Navy, Beijing, AFP, Getty Images China, Eastern Theatre Command, Mainland Affairs Council, U.S, Taiwan Locations: Taiwan, China's, Fujian, U.S, United States, Taipei . Lai, Paraguay, China, Beijing, Republic of China, South Korea, Japan

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong objections of the island's government. "This is a serious warning against Taiwan independence separatist forces colluding with external forces to provoke," it said. China has a particular dislike of Lai for his previous comments that he was a "practical worker for Taiwan independence". The United States, like most countries, has no formal ties with Taiwan but is its strongest international backer, bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. China has over the past three years ramped up military pressure on Taiwan, including sending military aircraft and warships near the island.

Persons: William Lai, Nancy Pelosi, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, Lai, Deb Haaland, King Felipe VI, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Casey Hall, Ben Blanchard, Greg Torode, William Mallard Organizations: Joint Staff Office, Defense Ministry of Japan, Reuters, Eastern Theatre Command, U.S . House, U.S, Beijing, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Okinawa, Miyako, SHANGHAI, TAIPEI, Taiwan, United States, Taipei . Lai, Paraguay, China, Taipei, California, South, Asuncion

☆ Taiwan will not back down to threats, Taiwan VP says on US trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Taiwan's Vice President William Lai speaks during a luncheon in New York City, New York, U.S., in this handout picture released on August 14, 2023. Lai told a supporters lunch in New York on Sunday that "if Taiwan is safe, the world is safe, if the Taiwan Strait is peaceful, then the world is peaceful", according to Taiwan's presidential office. China considers Taiwan its most important diplomatic issue, and is a constant source of friction between Beijing and Washington, which is the island's most important international backer and arms supplier. Lai's speech was attended by Ingrid Larson, managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan, a U.S. government-run non-profit that carries out unofficial relations with Taiwan. China carried out war games around Taiwan in April after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen returned from California where she met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy while also on a transit on her way back from Central America.

Persons: William Lai, Lai, Ingrid Larson, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, Ben Blanchard, Lincoln Organizations: Taiwan Presidential, REUTERS, American Institute, U.S, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, Taiwan, Central America, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, Taiwan, REUTERS TAIPEI, Beijing, China, United States, Paraguay, San Francisco, New York, Washington, Republic of China, People's Republic of China, Taipei, California, Central

☆ China condemns visit of 'troublemaker' Taiwan VP to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Ryan Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly denounced Lai's trip, which includes another stopover in San Francisco on Wednesday on his way back to Taipei. In a statement issued shortly after Lai landed in New York on a scheduled flight from Taipei, China's foreign ministry said it opposed any form of visit by "Taiwan independence separatists" to the United States. "Lai stubbornly adheres to the separatist position of Taiwan independence and is a troublemaker through and through," the ministry said. China has stepped up its military activities around Taiwan over the past three years, seeking to force the island into accepting Beijing's sovereignty. In April, China staged war games around Taiwan in an angry response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meeting U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California on a stopover on the way back to Taipei following her visit to Central America.

Persons: William Lai, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Lai, Lai's, Washington's, Laura Rosenberger, Wang Yi, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, Ryan Woo, Yimou Lee, Ben Blanchard, William Mallard, Jamie Freed Organizations: Taoyuan International Airport, REUTERS, Carlos Garcia Rawlins BEIJING, Taiwan, U.S, American Institute, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, Chinese Foreign, Central America, Thomson Locations: Taoyuan, United States, New York, Paraguay, Taiwan, U.S, Beijing, China, San Francisco, Taipei, Taiwan Strait, Washington, California, Central

☆ Taiwan steeling itself for Chinese drills over VP's US visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Yimou Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The United States has described the stopovers as routine and no reason for China to take "provocative" action. Neither Taiwan nor the United States have given details of Lai's schedule on his stopovers. That includes the prospect of a visit to the United States by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, which could pave the way for a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Taiwan believes the scale of the exercises could be smaller than those in April, the Taiwanese official said. Chinese state television this month ran an eight-part series on the People's Liberation Army, some of which focused on Taiwan.

Persons: William Lai's stopovers, Lai, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, Biden, Wang Yi, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, China, Jeff Liu, Yimou Lee, Ben Blanchard, Liz Lee, Michael Martina, Robert Birsel Organizations: United, House, Taiwan Affairs Office, People's Liberation Army, China's Eastern Theatre Command, Reuters, Chinese Foreign, American Institute, The U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, China, Taiwan, United States, U.S, Beijing, Los Angeles, Taiwan Strait, New York, Paraguay, San Francisco, stoke, Virginia, The, Taipei, Washington

REUTERS/Jason Lee/File PhotoTAIPEI, July 14 (Reuters) - China's military has been flexing its muscles this week around Taiwan practicing joint force operations far out at sea, ahead of Taipei holding its annual war games at the end of the month when Taiwan will simulate breaking a Chinese blockade. Chieh Chung, a military researcher at Taiwan's National Policy Foundation think tank, said practicing long-distance missions was important for China as they would be the "main combat mode" in any conflict. "They are expanding military deterrence actions to create a cognitive effect that Taiwan's national defences are useless," the official said. China routinely denounces U.S. military activity in the strait as provocation. "The Eastern Theatre Command are well seasoned, but it's the Southern Theatre Command that needs training for long-distance support," Su said.

Persons: Jason Lee, Chieh Chung, Han Kuang, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, Xi Jinping, Su Tzu, yun, Su, Yimou Lee, Roger Tung, Yew Lun Tian, Ben Blanchard, Robert Birsel Organizations: Chinese Air Force, REUTERS, Foundation, Taiwan, House, Eastern Theatre Command, U.S . Navy, Institute for National Defence and Security Research, Southern Theatre Command, Thomson Locations: Beijing, TAIPEI, Taiwan, Taipei, China, Philippines, Japan, Borneo, Los Angeles

Chinese officials have repeatedly said they want those sanctions, imposed in 2018, dropped to facilitate discussions. This scuppered planned talks between theatre-level commands, regular defence policy co-ordination and military maritime consultations, which included operational safety issues. Diplomats and Chinese analysts say military attaches at embassies Beijing and Washington are still able to meet officials - an important element of routine communication. Senior Chinese military intelligence officials also participated in a secret meeting of regional spies in Singapore earlier this month - a session that included U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. The official said some lower-level interactions with the Chinese military had continued.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Li Shangfu, Li, Nancy Pelosi's, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Austin, Zhou Bo, Yang Tao, Admiral John Aquilino, General Lin Xiangyang, Greg Torode, Tian, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Gerry Doyle Organizations: . Defence, China's Defence, Taiwan, Pentagon, Diplomats, National Intelligence, PLA, Beijing's Tsinghua University . Senior, Reuters, U.S, Pacific Command, Eastern Theatre, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, East Asia, China, United States, Beijing, Singapore, U.S, Taiwan, Washington, Hong Kong

☆ Taiwan says Chinese air force approached close to island's coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China's air force over the past three years has routinely flown into the air space around Taiwan. Since August it has regularly sent jets across the strait's median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier. In March, Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned that the island had to be on alert this year for a "sudden entry" by the Chinese military into areas close to its territory. Taiwan defines its contiguous zone as being 24 nautical miles from its coast. Eight of those crossed the median line and "got close" to the 24 nautical mile mark, it said.

Persons: Chiu Kuo, cheng, Ben Blanchard, Jacqueline Wong, Tom Hogue, William Mallard Organizations: Taiwan Defence, Eastern Theatre Command, U.S . Navy, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, Beijing, China, U.S

BEIJING/TAIPEI, April 11 (Reuters) - China's latest military drills near Taiwan show it is serious about being able to cut off the democratically ruled island in a conflict, analysts said, as Beijing said its aircraft carriers could "shatter" defences from the east. 1) Carrier OperationsMany analysts noted the jets flying off the Shandong aircraft carrier, which took up position east of Taiwan, about 230 kilometres (143 miles) south of Japan's Miyajima island. The aim of the drills was to show that they could encircle Taiwan in a blockade and deter foreign powers from intervening, Zhao said. 3) Precision TargetingThe PLA also said it carried out virtual simulations showing how its forces could execute targeted missile attacks on Taiwan. Japan's military said in a briefing on Tuesday that it was assessing China's manoeuvres around Taiwan, but described them as "without question, serious training".

☆ The Chinese military posted an animated video simulating how China's forces would attack Taiwan if war breaks out
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An animated video from the Chinese military shows how China's forces could attack Taiwan. The video showed a targeted, multi-prong assault on Taiwan executed by aircraft and navy vessels. An animated video from the Chinese military's Eastern Theatre Command's official WeChat account was re-posted to Twitter by the state-linked media outlet Global Times. Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Monday that 70 Chinese aircraft and 11 Chinese navy vessels encircled the island on Monday morning. But China considers Taiwan as part of its territory, a breakaway province with a democratic government that poses a threat to China's Communist Party.

[1/5] Alec Hsu shows to the camera patches depicting a Formosan black bear holding Taiwan’s flag and punching Winnie the Pooh at his store in Taoyuan, Taiwan April 10, 2023. The patch shows an angry Formosan black bear holding Taiwan's flag and punching Winnie the Pooh, with the slogan "Scramble!" The endangered Formosan black bear is seen as a symbol of Taiwanese identity. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out taking the island by force. While the Winnie the Pooh patch cannot be found on Chinese social media, Beijing has also been promoting videos and commentary about its drills around Taiwan.

Eastern Theatre Command/Handout via REUTERSTOKYO/TAIPEI, April 10 (Reuters) - Japan has been following China's military drills around Taiwan consistently and "with great interest", a top government spokesperson said on Monday, on the last scheduled day for the exercises where Beijing has simulated striking the island. China claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under Beijing's control. Japan has long worried about China's military activities in the area given how close its southern islands are to Taiwan. The United States has said it is also watching China's drills closely. China's military simulated precision strikes against Taiwan in the second day of drills around the island on Sunday.

☆ China announces drills around Taiwan after US Speaker meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/David Swanson/File PhotoBEIJING, April 8 (Reuters) - China will hold three days of military exercises around Taiwan from Saturday, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command announced, the day after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a trip to the United States. Tsai met U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy while in Los Angeles on Wednesday, angering Beijing, which views Taiwan as its own territory. Beijing staged war games around Taiwan, including live fire missile launches, in August after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei. Then, China published a map at the same time as its announcement of the drills showing which maritime areas near Taiwan it would be firing into. Xi responded by saying that expecting China to compromise on Taiwan was "wishful thinking", according to China's official reading of the meeting.

☆ China starts drills around Taiwan after U.S. Speaker meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen at an event with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on April 5, 2023. China began three days of military exercises around Taiwan on Saturday to express anger at Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, as the island's defense ministry said it would respond calmly. The drills, announced the day after Tsai returned from the United States, had been widely expected after China condemned the meeting with Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. China was using Tsai's U.S. visit "as an excuse to carry out military exercises, which has seriously damaged regional peace, stability and security," the ministry said in a statement.

SummarySummary Companies China starts three days of drills around TaiwanTaiwan says 71 Chinese planes crossed Taiwan Strait median lineTaiwan says it will respond calmlyChina angered by Taiwan president meeting U.S. House SpeakerAnnouncement comes shortly after French president left ChinaFUZHOU, China/TAIPEI, April 8 (Reuters) - Seventy-one Chinese military aircraft crossed the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait on Saturday as China began drills around Taiwan in anger at President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The People's Liberation Army said it had started the combat readiness patrols and "Joint Sword" exercises around Taiwan, having said earlier it would be holding them in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of Taiwan "as planned". SITUATION 'AS EXPECTED'There was no broader sense of alarm in Taiwan about the drills, where people are long accustomed to Chinese threats. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen, also in China this week to meet Xi, said stability in the Taiwan Strait was of paramount importance. The Taiwan security source said China's recent efforts to charm foreign leaders proved in vain after the announcement of the drills.

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