China begins training near Taiwan after meeting between President Tsai and US House Speaker McCarthy
China kicked off a three-day military exercise around Taiwan on Saturday, April 8 (April 8), expressing outrage at a meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the US House Speaker.
The exercise, announced the day after Tsai’s return from the US, was widely anticipated after China condemned a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.
China regards Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced the use of force.
Beijing’s announcement came just hours after senior European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, visited China.
The People’s Liberation Army Eastern Front Command said it would continue training in the Taiwan Strait and in the north, south and east of Taiwan “as planned”, before beginning combat readiness patrols and “joint sword” exercises around Taiwan. .
“This is a solemn warning against collusion and provocation by Taiwanese independent forces and outside forces, and is a necessary measure to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Taiwan’s defense ministry said it was monitoring the situation while maintaining a high level of alert and would respond appropriately to safeguard the island’s security.
China said in a statement that President Tsai’s visit to the United States was “used as an excuse for military exercises and seriously undermined peace, stability and security in the region.”
“The military will respond in a calm, rational and serious manner, and will protect national sovereignty and national security through vigilance and monitoring in accordance with the principle of ‘non-expansion and non-conflict’,” he said.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense claimed it had detected four Chinese aircraft in Taiwan’s air defense zone in the past 24 hours, but it was not an unusual number.
Reuters reporters stationed in a coastal area near Fuzhou, opposite Taiwan-controlled Machu Island, observed a Chinese warship firing shells at a training area off China’s coast, part of an exercise announced by China late Friday.
Tsai is scheduled to meet with a delegation of US congressmen led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul on Saturday afternoon.
