China said on Monday it was expanding threatening military exercises around Taiwan that have disrupted shipping and air traffic and raised substantial concerns about the potential for conflict in a region crucial to global trade.
The drills would include anti-submarine exercises, apparently aimed at U.S. support for Taiwan in the event of a possible Chinese invasion, according to social media posts by the eastern leadership of the Chinese Communist Party’s military arm, the People’s Liberation Army .
The military has said the drills, which include missile strikes, warplanes and ship movements crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait that divides the sides, were in response to a visit by the speaker of the House of Representatives United States Nancy Pelosi on the self-governing island last week.
China has ignored calls to ease tensions and there was no immediate indication when it would end what amounts to a blockade.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Sunday it detected a total of 66 aircraft and 14 warships conducting the naval and air exercises. The island has responded by putting its military on alert and deploying ships, planes and other assets to monitor Chinese planes, ships and drones that are “simulating attacks on Taiwan Island and our ships at sea.”
Biden expresses concern
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported that Taiwan’s military will conduct live-fire artillery drills in southern Pingtung County on Tuesday and Thursday in response to the Chinese drills.
The exercises will include snipers, combat vehicles and armored vehicles, as well as attack helicopters, according to the report, which cites an unnamed source.
A Taiwanese military ship patrols near the east coast on Sunday. Taiwan accused the Chinese military of faking an attack on its main island over the weekend. (Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images)
The Biden and Pelosi administrations say the US remains committed to the “one China” policy that extends formal diplomatic recognition to Beijing while allowing informal relations and strong defense ties with Taipei.
The US, however, criticized Beijing’s actions in the Taiwan Strait.
“I’m concerned that they’re moving as much as they are,” Biden said of China’s actions Monday while speaking with reporters. “But I don’t think they do anything more than they are.”
China hits back at criticism
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has threatened to annex it by force if necessary. The two sides split in 1949 after a civil war, but Beijing sees visits to Taiwan by foreign officials as recognition of its sovereignty.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has called on the international community to “support democratic Taiwan” and “stop any escalation of the regional security situation.” The Group of Seven industrialized nations has also criticized China’s actions, prompting Beijing to cancel a meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi.
WATCH China lashes out at G7 and EU countries over support for Taiwan:
China condemns G7 nations over Taiwan statement
China condemned all G7 nations, including Canada, after the Group of Seven expressed concern over Beijing’s live-fire drills near Taiwan.
China has cut off defense and climate talks with the US and imposed sanctions on Pelosi in retaliation for her visit.
In Washington, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador Bi-khim Hsiao said China had no reason to “be so furious” over Pelosi’s visit, which follows a long tradition of US lawmakers visiting Taiwan .
“Well, you know, we’ve been living under the threat of China for decades,” Hsiao told CBS News on Sunday. “If you have a kid who’s being bullied at school, you don’t say you don’t go to school. You try to find a way to deal with it.
“The risks are posed by Beijing,” Hsiao said.
On a visit to Myanmar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington was “seizing the opportunity to increase its military deployment in the region, which deserves close vigilance and a resolute boycott by all the sides”.
“China’s firm stance” is aimed at “seriously safeguarding Taiwan Strait peace and regional stability,” Wang told the official Xinhua news agency.
Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for a cooling of tensions.
“Australia continues to call for restraint, Australia continues to call for de-escalation. And this is not something that only Australia is calling for… the whole region is concerned about the current situation, the whole region is calling for stability to be restored,” Wong. he told reporters in Canberra.