China today continued its largest ever military drills around Taiwan as Beijing vowed to combat American support for the self-governed island with 'anti-submarine and sea assault operations'.
A People's Liberation Army (PLA) spokesperson stated this morning: 'The Eastern Theater Command of the PLA continued to conduct practical joint exercises in the sea and airspace around Taiwan island, organising joint anti-submarine and sea assault operations.'
The threatening drills include missile strikes, warplanes and ship movements across the crucial Median line of the Taiwan Strait, the sea between the two nations.
It follows a stop-off in Taiwan during a tour of Asia by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-profile American visit for a generation.
Meanwhile China repeated its claim at a press conference this morning that the island is part of China, with the country conducting normal military exercises 'in our own waters'.
Beijing's drills on how to target American ships and submarines during a potential invasion of the island state ran for three days last week, before being extended yesterday afternoon
Threatening exercises include missile strikes, warplanes and ship movements across the crucial Median line of the Taiwan Strait (image released by China yesterday)
But Taiwan hit back with its own vow to carry out military exercises in the region.
Beijing's drills on how to target American ships and submarines during a potential invasion of the island state ran for three days last week and were supposed to cease at midday tomorrow.
They were extended on Sunday as 'a contempt' toward the US, Japan and Australia after the three countries issued a joint statement 'reaffirming their comment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait'.
Australian foreign minister Penny Wong, her Japanese counterpart Hayashi Yoshimasa and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had met on the sidelines of an ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Cambodia.
According to a State Department readout of the Western foreign ministers' conversation, the trio 'condemned the People's Republic of China's launch of ballistic missiles, five of which the Japanese government reported landed in its exclusive economic zones, raising tension and destabilising the region.
'China's firm stance' is aimed at 'earnestly safeguarding peace across the Taiwan Strait and regional stability,' Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency this past weekend
'The secretary and the foreign ministers urged the PRC to immediately cease the military exercises.'
China has ignored calls to calm the tensions, and there was no immediate indication when it would end what amounts to a blockade.
Taiwan's defense ministry said Sunday it detected a total of 66 aircraft and 14 warships conducting the naval and air exercises.
The island has responded by putting its military on alert and deploying ships, planes and other assets to monitor Chinese aircraft, ships and drones that are 'simulating attacks on the island of Taiwan and our ships at sea.'
Taiwanese Navy warships are anchored at a harbour on August 07, 2022 in Keelung, Taiwan
Meanwhile, Taiwan's official Central News Agency reported that Taiwan's army will conduct live-fire artillery drills in southern Pingtung County on Tuesday and Thursday in response to the Chinese exercises.
Chinese official is ridiculed after claiming Taipei's 38 dumpling restaurants proves Taiwan is part of China
A senior Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman has prompted a storm of ridicule online, after a late-night tweet where she used restaurant listings to assert Beijing's claim over Taiwan.
'Baidu Maps show that there are 38 Shandong dumpling restaurants and 67 Shanxi noodle restaurants in Taipei,' spokeswoman Hua Chunying posted on the social media site late on Sunday.
'Palates don't cheat. #Taiwan has always been a part of China. The long lost child will eventually return home,' she added.
Hua's tweet on Sunday appeared to backfire, as thousands of users on Twitter - a site banned in China and only accessible via special VPN software - piled on to poke holes in the top official's logic.
'There are over 100 ramen restaurants in Taipei, so Taiwan is definitely a part of Japan,' a Twitter user with the handle 'Marco Chu' wrote in Hua's replies.
'Google Maps show that there are 17 McDonalds, 18 KFCs, 19 Burger Kings, and 19 Starbucks in Beijing. Palates don't cheat. #China has always been a part of America. The long lost child will eventually return home,' Twitter user '@plasticreceiver' wrote in a parody of Hua's tweet.
Others wondered jokingly if Hua's logic meant Beijing could place claims on territories far beyond the Asia Pacific region.
'There are 29 dumpling houses in the Greater Los Angeles area not to mention 89 noodle restaurants,' a person tweeting under the name 'Terry Adams' wrote.
'Using Hua's logic, LA has always been a part of China.'
Sunday's tweet is far from the first time Beijing's diplomats have raised eyebrows with their use of social media that their own government prohibits.
Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has frequently promoted conspiracy theories on Twitter, including the idea that the US military might have brought Covid-19 to China.
The drills will include snipers, combat vehicles, armored vehicles as well as attack helicopters, said the report, which cited an anonymous source.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has threatened to annex it by force if necessary.
The two sides split in 1949 after a civil war, but Beijing considers visits to Taiwan by foreign officials as recognising its sovereignty.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has called on the international community to 'support democratic Taiwan' and 'halt any escalation of the regional security situation.'
The G7 has also criticized China's actions, prompting Beijing to cancel a meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi.
China has cut off defense and climate talks with the US and imposed sanctions on Pelosi in retaliation for her visit.
The Biden administration and Pelosi say the US remains committed to the 'one-China' policy that extends formal diplomatic recognition to Beijing while allowing robust informal relations and defense ties with Taipei.
The US however criticized Beijing's actions in the Taiwan Strait, with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre calling them 'fundamentally irresponsible.'
'There's no need and no reason for this escalation,' Jean-Pierre said.
In Washington, Taiwan's de facto ambassador Bi-khim Hsiao said China had no reason to 'be so furious,' over Pelosi's visit, which follows a long tradition of American lawmakers visiting Taiwan.
'Well, you know, we have been living under the threat from China for decades,' Hsiao told CBS News on Sunday.
'If you have a kid being bullied at school, you don't say you don't go to school. You try to find a way to deal with the bully.
'The risks are posed by Beijing,' Hsiao said.
On a visit to Myanmar, whose Chinese-backed military government has been accused of murdering its opponents, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington was 'taking the opportunity to build up its military deployment in the region, which deserves high vigilance and resolute boycott from all sides.'
'China's firm stance' is aimed at 'earnestly safeguarding peace across the Taiwan Strait and regional stability,' Wang was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.
Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for a cooling of tensions.
'Australia continues to urge restraint, Australia continues to urge de-escalation, and this is not something that solely Australia is calling for, and the whole region is concerned about the current situation, the whole region is calling for stability to be restored,' Wong told reporters in Canberra.
English (United States) ·