Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, is no longer in Taiwan, but China on Thursday kept its word that the island will be penalised for a 25-year visit by the highest-ranking US official.
The Taiwan Strait was the site of long-range live-fire exercise on Thursday, according to the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Chinese official media said the day before yesterday that drills to mimic an air and sea “blockade” surrounding Taiwan had begun on Wednesday, but provided little supporting information for the assertion.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN)The Taiwan Defense Ministry said Thursday that its military was in a “regular but wary posture,” and that the live-fire drills were an “irrational act” that tried to “alter the status quo.”
Taiwan and the outlying islands are being closely monitored by our military, which will take appropriate action if necessary.
In addition, a military source in China told AFP that the drills would be held “in preparation for the real battle”. “The PLA would take stern countermeasures and the Taiwanese side would bear all responsibility if the Taiwanese forces intentionally encountered the PLA and mistakenly fired a gun,” the source said.
According to AFP’s reporting, however, Chinese analysts say the country has no immediate plans to escalate the situation beyond its control.
When it comes to what they can accomplish, “clearly they recognise that there are some boundaries,” Chong Ja Ian, a National University of Singapore associate professor, said.
Disinformation efforts are expected to increase in Taiwan as a result of “cognitive warfare.”
