China’s naval blockade isolates Taiwanese
Country warns it is being cut off from world amid fears of chaos in the Strait and supply chain disruption
Taiwan yesterday warned it was being cut off from the outside world by China’s military drills after Nancy Pelosi left the island. The People’s Liberation Army moved warships near the island’s eastern coast ahead of unprecedented live-fire drills and 22 Chinese planes encroached on Taiwanese airspace when they crossed the median line between the island and the mainland. Beijing’s jets have flown across the line before, in times of high tension, but not in such numbers.
‘Facing heightened military threats, Taiwan will not back down. We will continue to hold the line of defence for democracy’
TAIWAN yesterday warned that it was being cut off from the outside world by Chinese military drills after Nancy Pelosi left the island.
The People’s Liberation Army moved warships near the eastern coast to carry out maritime blockade exercises ahead of unprecedented live-fire drills.
Chinese planes also encroached upon Taiwan’s airspace, with 22 aircraft crossing the median line in the strait between the island and the mainland. Beijing’s jets have flown across the unofficial dividing line before in times of high tension but not in such number.
Ms Pelosi, the US speaker of the House of Representatives, said her visit showed the US’S “ironclad” commitment to Taiwan, which China has threatened to reunify with the mainland by force.
Taipei said the four days of drills amounted to an “air and sea blockade”, while the live-fire missile exercises are set to drop munitions just 10 miles from its coast.
Although Taiwan has long feared a Chinese invasion, a blockade would be a more immediate threat, causing chaos in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and disrupting supply chains crucial for global technology exports.
The G7 yesterday condemned China’s drills and warned Beijing against trying to change the status quo around the island by force.
The G7 countries and EU said in a joint statement: “We are concerned by recent and announced threatening actions by the People’s Republic of China, particularly live-fire exercises and economic coercion, which risk unnecessary escalation.
“There is no justification to use a visit as pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait.” Yesterday, China also announced new trade curbs with Taiwan, suspending imports of fruit and fish.
Ms Pelosi arrived with a congressional delegation on an unannounced visit on Tuesday, making her the mostsenior US official to visit in 25 years despite China’s repeated warnings to cancel the trip.
The 82-year-old speaker, who is second in line to the US presidency, said her visit showed that Beijing cannot prevent world leaders or anyone from travelling to Taiwan to “pay respect to its flourishing democracy”.
Tsai Ing-wen, the Taiwanese president, remained defiant after her meeting in parliament with Ms Pelosi. “Facing deliberately heightened military threats, Taiwan will not back down. We will continue to hold the line of defence for democracy,” she warned.
A senior Taiwan defence official said the army was ready to “counteract any actions that violate our national sovereignty”.
China defended the war games as “necessary and just”. Beijing’s foreign ministry said: “In the current struggle surrounding Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, the United States are the provocateurs, China is the victim.”