China continues military exercises near Taiwan

The day after the departure from Taipei of Mrs Pelosi, number three American and speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chinese army had launched Thursday vast maneuvers "real fire" in six large areas all around Taiwan.

China continues military exercises near Taiwan

The day after the departure from Taipei of Mrs Pelosi, number three American and speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chinese army had launched Thursday vast maneuvers "real fire" in six large areas all around Taiwan.

These exercises, at least in this configuration, were to end Sunday noon (04:00 GMT) according to the Chinese maritime security administration. They were intended to practice a "blockade" of the island, according to official Chinese media.

But maneuvers continue.

"The People's Liberation Army (...) continues to conduct practical joint exercises in the sea and air space around Taiwan, focusing on joint anti-submarine and sea assault operations," the Eastern Command of the Chinese army said in a statement on Monday.

He did not specify in which areas these maneuvers take place, or whether they are "live fire" or not.

The Chinese army has conducted in recent days around Taiwan the largest military exercises in its history in this area, sending fighter jets, warships, drones and firing ballistic missiles.

Because of their scale, they aroused criticism from the heads of diplomacy of the G7 (United States, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, United Kingdom), who considered that there was "no justification to these "aggressive" maneuvers.

- "Troublemakers" -

After China suspended a series of Sino-American discussions and cooperation, including on climate change, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the Chinese reaction as "total disproportion".

Along with his Japanese and Australian counterparts, Mr. Blinken also issued a statement calling on China to stop its military exercises.

Questioned Monday, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, did not formally confirm the holding of new exercises but stressed that the reaction of Beijing was “legitimate, rational and legal”.

"This is a warning to troublemakers as well as a lesson to supporters of Taiwanese independence," he said during a regular press briefing, defending "transparent and professionals".

"We call on the United States to examine its conscience and rectify its mistake as soon as possible (...) and to stop playing the Taiwan card in order to hinder (the development of) China."

For their part, the Taiwanese armed forces announced on Monday that they will organize live ammunition military exercises this week simulating a defense of the island against a Chinese invasion.

They will train to face landings on Tuesday and Thursday in the Pingtung region, in the far south. Several hundred soldiers and about 40 howitzers will be deployed for these exercises, according to the same source.

According to the army, these exercises were already scheduled and are not a response to the Chinese exercises.

- Missiles - 

Taiwanese Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang said on Sunday that "China's brutal use of military force is undermining regional peace and stability".

According to Chinese state television CCTV, ballistic missiles flew over Taiwan this week, which would be a first.

To prove how close it had come to Taiwan's shores, the Chinese military released a photo it said it took from one of its warships over the weekend, showing a navy building Taiwanese just a few hundred meters away.

China considers Taiwan, with a population of around 23 million, to be one of its provinces, which it has yet to successfully reunify with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War ( 1949).

Opposed to any initiative giving the Taiwanese authorities international legitimacy, Beijing is against any official contact between Taiwan and other countries.

US officials visit the island frequently, but China considers the visit of Ms. Pelosi, one of the highest figures in the US state, to have been a major provocation.