China’s military maneuvers around Taiwan are raising concerns about the potential for conflict in this crucial region for global trade.
The Chinese maneuvers include anti-submarine drills, apparently targeting US support to Taiwan in the event of a potential Chinese invasion.
A ‘warning to troublemakers’
According to Chinese public television CCTV, ballistic missiles flew over Taiwan, which would be a first. The Chinese military has also deployed fighter jets, warships and drones.
China describes as a “major provocation” the visit to Taiwan last week (August 2-3, 2022) by Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the lower house of the United States Congress. Beijing again defended its action on Monday (08.08.2022) during a press conference by the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“China’s position is justified, reasonable and legitimate. The actions we are taking are firm, forceful and appropriate. This is a warning to spoilers as well as a lesson to pro-independence supporters. Taiwan”, asserted Wang Wenbin before adding that his country calls “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 China’s development”.
According to Japan, some Chinese missiles have landed in Japanese waters
China considers the island of Taiwan, with a population of around 23 million, to be a breakaway province while the Taiwanese authorities claim an independent existence.
Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has reignited fears that China is taking action against Taiwan.
Taiwanese worried
In Taipei, the inhabitants react, perplexed, like these passers-by: “I think Nancy Pelosi’s visit is kind of a political show because she will be retiring as Speaker of the House very soon. accidentally sparked a conflict and it’s not good for Taiwan.”
Another says “that there are pros and cons to visiting Pelosi”. According to him, “The negative side of this is that it is more complicated to export goods to China now, and the positive side is that we are gaining more recognition from other countries in the world.”
Taiwanese exercises
For its part, Taiwan has condemned the continuation of Chinese military maneuvers. The Taiwanese armed forces announced on Monday that they would organize live ammunition military exercises this week, simulating a defense of the island against a Chinese invasion.
But the army was quick to say that these exercises were already scheduled and would therefore not be a response to the Chinese exercises.
