Taiwan officials have said China’s drills violate United Nations rules, invade Taiwan’s territorial space and are a direct challenge to free air and sea navigation.
China has launched unprecedented live-fire military drills in six areas that ring Taiwan Thursday, a day after a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-ruled island that Beijing regards as Chinese territory. Taiwan officials have said the drills violate United Nations rules, invade Taiwan’s territorial space and are a direct challenge to free air and sea navigation. China is conducting drills on the busiest international waterways and aviation routes and that is “irresponsible, illegitimate behaviour,” Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said.
Soon after the scheduled start at 0400 GMT (9.30 am IST), China’s state broadcaster CCTV said the drills had begun and would end at 0400 GMT on Sunday. They would include live firing on the waters and in the airspace surrounding Taiwan, it said.
In a tense trip, Pelosi landed in Taipei with her congressional delegation late on Tuesday, defying China’s repeated warnings against the visit. Pelosi pledged solidarity and hailed Taiwan’s democracy and said that the US will not abandon its commitment to the self-governing island.
