In a first, Taiwan’s defense ministry announced that portions of the exercises would take place within its 12-nautical-mile maritime and air boundaries.
China has begun a new set of military drills around Taiwan as tensions continue to build following Nancy Pelosi’s 24-hour visit to the island.
Hours after suspected drones flew over Taiwan’s territory on Wednesday and hackers attacked the website of Taiwan’s defense ministry, Chinese state media report that military drills have begun.
Before the commencement of the military exercises on Thursday morning, Taiwan announced that some of the maneuvers would take place within its 12-nautical-mile maritime and air territories.
This has never occurred before, and a senior ministry official characterized the proposed action as “equivalent to a naval and air blockade of Taiwan.”
The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that the exercises, which would include live-fire drills, would begin at 5:00 a.m. UK time in six places surrounding Taiwan.
It follows China’s foreign minister’s description of Ms. Pelosi’s visit as “manic, irresponsible, and illogical to an extreme degree.”
Before the last round of drills began, Taiwan stated that it would respond by bolstering its self-defense capabilities and coordinating closely with the United States and like-minded nations.
Additionally, Taiwan stated that its military regularly monitors the situation in the strait separating the island from mainland China.
The ministry stated that it will “respond appropriately” to hostile actions to “protect national security and sovereignty.”
In reaction to the 24-hour visit by Ms. Pelosi, the most senior American politician to visit Taiwan in the past quarter-century, Taiwan has been on high alert while China has conducted military drills.
China believes Taiwan to be a part of its territory and opposes Taiwanese engagement with international countries.
On Thursday, Major General Chang Zone-sung of the Kinmen Defense Command of the Taiwanese army stated that two suspected drones entered the area of the Kinmen islands between 9 and 10 p.m. local time (2 and 3 p.m. UK time) on Wednesday evening.
The strongly defended islands, administered by Taiwan, are located near Xiamen on the southeastern coast of China.
“We fired flares immediately to provide warnings and drive them away. After that, they reversed course. Because they entered our restricted region, we dispersed them “Major General Chang remarked.
“A standard operating procedure is in place. We shall respond if they enter, “He proceeded.
According to Major General Chang, the drones were designed to collect intelligence about Taiwan’s security deployment on its outlying islands.
In the meantime, Taiwan’s defense ministry stated that it is collaborating closely with other agencies to improve cyber security after hackers momentarily disabled its website.
The cyberattack follows earlier this week’s targeting of multiple Taiwanese government websites, including the presidential office.
Some of the attacks, according to Taiwanese authorities, were carried out by China and Russia.
A spokeswoman for the Taiwanese cabinet stated that the persistent cyber attacks on government websites “had not yet caused any damage.”
Against the backdrop of growing tensions with China, Taiwan’s government is now pushing the island’s businesses to improve their cybersecurity in the coming days. Authorities have seen a record number of attacks on their websites.
Earlier on Wednesday, Taiwan scrambled jets to scare away 27 Chinese aircraft in its air defense zone, according to the island’s defense ministry, and 22 of them crossed the median line separating Taiwan and China.
In general, neither side’s planes cross the median line.
It occurred before China’s Taiwan Affairs Office stated that the punishment of pro-Taiwan independence extremists and external forces was justified and legal.
The Beijing-based bureau emphasized that Taiwan is not a “regional” issue, but rather a domestic matter for China.
Wednesday, state security in East China’s Zhejiang province arrested a suspected Taiwanese separatist on grounds of damaging national security, according to Chinese official media.
Ms. Pelosi finished her tour to Taiwan on Wednesday with a guarantee that the United States’ commitment to democracy in Taiwan and elsewhere “remains unwavering.”
