China begins military exercises around Taiwan
Tourists watch a Chinese military helicopter fly past Pingtan Island, one of mainland China's closest points to Taiwan, in Fujian province, August 4, 2022. AFP - HECTOR RETAMAL
Text by: RFI Follow
4 mins
The Chinese army started this Thursday, August 4, the most important military maneuvers in its history around Taiwan, a muscular response to the visit of the head of the American deputies Nancy Pelosi on the island.
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If her trip to this territory claimed by China lasted less than 24 hours, Ms Pelosi sparked the fury of Beijing by being the highest elected American official to visit Taipei in 25 years.
She hammered that the United States would not abandon the island, ruled by a democratic regime and which lives under the constant threat of an invasion by the Chinese army.
In response, Beijing launched from Thursday noon (04:00 UT) vast military maneuvers in six areas around Taiwan, at the level of busy trade routes.
“
Exercises begin
” and will continue until Sunday noon (04:00 UT), Chinese state television CCTV said in a message on social networks.
“
During this period, the ships and aircraft concerned must not enter the waters and airspaces concerned.
»
► To read also:
After Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, Washington's allies call for appeasement
An “
unprecedented
” scale
In Pingtan, a Chinese island located near one of the areas where the maneuvers are taking place, military helicopters flew overhead towards the Taiwan Strait, AFP journalists noted.
The Taiwanese army has indicated that it
is "preparing for war without seeking war
".
According to the
Global Times
newspaper , citing military analysts, the drills are on an "
unprecedented
" scale as missiles will fly over Taiwan for the first time.
"
This is the first time that the Chinese army will launch live ammunition and long-range artillery fire over the Taiwan Strait
," said the daily, known for its nationalist tone.
"
If the Taiwanese forces voluntarily come into contact with (the Chinese army) and accidentally fire a shot, (the Chinese army) will respond vigorously and it will be up to the Taiwanese side to bear all the consequences
" , told AFP an anonymous military source within the Chinese army.
► Also to listen:
Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan: "It's China that threatens the status quo"
Authorities on the island have denounced the program, saying it threatens East Asian security.
"
Some of China's maneuver areas encroach on (...) Taiwan's territorial waters
," said Sun Li-fang, spokesman for the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, castigating "
an irrational act aimed at challenging the 'international order
'.
For Beijing, these exercises - as well as others, more limited, started in recent days - are "
a necessary and legitimate measure
" after Ms. Pelosi's visit.
“
It is the United States that is the provocateurs, and China that is the victim.
China is in self-defense
,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters.
The drills aim to simulate a "
blockade
" of the island and include "
assaulting targets at sea, striking targets on the ground and controlling airspace
", the official Xinhua news agency said.
If the hypothesis of an invasion of Taiwan, populated by 23 million inhabitants, remains unlikely, it has increased since the election in 2016 of the current president Tsai Ing-wen.
Coming from an independence party, Ms. Tsai refuses, unlike the previous government, to recognize that the island and the continent are part
of "one China
".
Political parties from various countries on Wednesday strongly condemned US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the Taiwan region of China on Wednesday.
https://t.co/IYAKNFUwfC pic.twitter.com/AdP4nb2MRq
— New China (@XHChinaNew) August 4, 2022
► To read also:
Chinese maneuvers encircle Taiwan
The warning from the ASEAN countries
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) warned on Thursday of the risks caused by tensions around the Taiwan Strait, which could lead to "
errors of judgment, serious confrontations, conflicts and would have unforeseeable consequences for the great powers
”.
Foreign ministers of ASEAN member countries issued a statement after a meeting in Phnom Penh, where host country Cambodia called for a de-escalation of tensions around Taiwan.
The Phnom Penh meeting, attended by other nations in addition to ASEAN member countries, including China and the United States, was clouded by renewed tensions after Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island.
"
ASEAN stands ready to play a constructive role to facilitate peaceful dialogue between all parties
," the association said.
(with agencies)
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