China warns it will cross Taiwan Strait with regular military drills

CHINA’S military will conduct “regular drills” east of an unofficial border with Taiwan, state media announced yesterday as the People’s Liberation Army wrapped up four days of unprecedented military exercises.

The drills, in response to United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island were supposed to conclude yesterday.

However, China yesterday said they will become a regular occurrence, taking place east of the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer line between China and Taiwan that is normally not crossed by military aircraft and warships from either side.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had detected 66 Chinese air force planes and 14 Chinese warships conducting activities in and around the Taiwan Strait yesterday.

Since Wednesday, Beijing has sent at least 44 aircraft across the median line, causing Taiwan to scramble jets to warn them away, as well as multiple warships. China sees Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, as a breakaway province that needs to be reconquered – by force if necessary – and bristles at other countries having formal exchanges with Taipei. Ms Pelosi’s visit was the first by a US official of her rank in 25 years.

China responded with unprecedented military drills, which have included launching missiles over the island for the first time since 1996, when Beijing had been angered by Taiwan’s decision to hold presidential elections.

China also announced on Saturday it will hold month-long military drills in the Bohai Sea and south of the Yellow Sea, near the Korean Peninsula, according to the country’s maritime safety authorities. In a controversial move on Saturday, Chinese state media published a photo showing a PLA soldier within sight of the ROCS Lan Yang, one of Taiwan’s frigates. The reports did not specify where the photo was taken but the hills corresponded to those near Hoping Power Station on the east coast of Taiwan, which would have made it the closest a PLA warship had sailed to the island since 1949.

Taiwan’s defence ministry did not comment on the photo but instead released its own picture and a video of Taiwanese destroyer Magong shadowing and monitoring a PLA frigate in waters off eastern Taiwan.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said that PLA warships and warplanes had simulated attacks on the island proper yesterday. “In addition … the PLA forces were also simulating attacks of our vessels at sea, while sending drones to harass our outlaying islands,” it said.

The island’s navy had been pointing shore-based anti-ship missiles at the PLA warships surrounding Taiwan, according to Military News Agency, an outlet affiliated to the defence ministry.