Chinese Aircraft and Warships Cross Median Line In Military Drills Following Pelosi Visit

Chinese Aircraft and Warships Cross Median Line In Military Drills Following Pelosi Visit

TAIPEI. Taiwan–China continues its military coercion of Taiwan today, Aug. 5. Warplanes, vessels, and warplanes are seen crossing the median line in the Taiwan Strait, which separates them.

Calling the military drills “highly provocative,” Taiwan’s defense ministry said many Chinese military jets and warships had been seen in waters near Taiwan as of 11 a.m. local time, with some crossing the median line. The median, also known as the Davis Line is an informal air- and maritime buffer that separates Taiwan and China.

The ministry responded by saying it had deployed aircraft, naval patrol vessels and land-based missile system to monitor the situation.

” We seek no escalation nor antagonize other,” said the ministry via Twitter. It also stated that Taiwan’s armed forces are “committed” to protecting the island’s self-government.

China announced on Aug. 2 that live-fire drills would be held in six areas around Taiwan between Aug. 4 and Aug. 7. This was in apparent retaliation for Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. House Speaker (D-Calif.),’s visit to the island. Some zones overlap with Taiwan’s territorial waters. According to Reuters, these drills represent the largest ever conducted by the Chinese government in Taiwan Strait.

A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks in front of a large screen showing a news broadcast about China’s military exercises encircling Taiwan, in Beijing on Aug.4, 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

Ballistic Missiles

Beijing’s Friday military moves came a day after China launched 11 ballistic missiles into the waters around Taiwan. Japan said five of the missiles landed in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from the country’s coast. Japan’s defense ministry stated that four of the five missiles likely flew over Taipei.

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Taiwan’s defense ministry did not dispute Japan’s claim, saying the flight path was “outside the atmosphere and is not harmful to the vast area on the ground it flies over.”

China deployed unmanned aerial drones in direct attack on Taiwan, Aug. 4. Four drones flew over the Kinmen Islands in Taiwan on Thursday night. This is about 1.3 miles away from China’s coastline. Earlier the day, three drones flew over waters off Taiwan’s east coast, according to an announcement (pdf) from Japan’s defense ministry said (pdf) said three different drones flew over waters off Taiwan’s east coast.

On Thursday, 22 Chinese fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

A Chinese military jet flies over Pingtan Island, one of mainland China’s closest point from Taiwan, in Fujian Province on Aug.5, 2022. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Condemnation

In response to China’s missile launch, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called on the Chinees regime to “act with reason and exercise restraint.” Tsai also appealed to the international community to “come together to put a halt to these unilateral and irrational military actions.”

Several U.S. officials criticize Beijing since then. White House National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby called the missile firings “irresponsible.”

Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a joint statement saying that Beijing was attempting to “upend cross-Strait peace and stability by changing the status quo with Taiwan.”

“Beijing shouldn’t be under any false impression that these military drills in America will weaken resolve or undermine our commitment to stand by the peoples of Taiwan and allow them to decide their future,” said the senators. “Just the contrary .”

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Fujio Kishida, Japan’s Prime Minister, met with Pelosi at Tokyo, Japan. This was the fifth stop on Pelosi’s Asia tour that so far has included Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.

” I have told speaker Pelosi the fact that China’s missiles landed close to Japanese waters including EEZ and threatens our national security, and that Japan has strongly condemned such acts,” Kishida stated according to Reuters.

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Frank Fang, a Taiwanese journalist. His news coverage includes Taiwan, China and the United States. Tsinghua University, Taiwan has awarded him a master’s in materials science.

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