China fired multiple ballistic missiles in the direction of Taiwan this morning, four of which flew directly over capital city Taipei in an unprecedented escalation, as it continues to carry out the largest ever military drills in the seas and skies surrounding the self-ruled island.
The country also imposed sanctions on US House speaker Nancy Pelosi and her immediate family in response to her “vicious” and “provocative” visit to Taiwan, said the Chinese foreign ministry.
He said that China’s military exercises around Taiwan and the firing of missiles into Japan’s exclusive economic zone represent a “significant escalation”.
Beijing said it was halting cooperation with America in a number of areas, including dialogue between senior-level military commanders, in retaliation for the visit this week to Taiwan by US House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
China’s foreign ministry said that it summoned Beijing-based Canadian diplomat Jim Nickel over Canada’s participation in a statement issued by the foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) nations.
Chinese vice foreign minister Xie Feng summoned Mr Nickel yesterday and urged Canada to “immediately correct its mistakes” on the issue of Taiwan or “bear all consequences”, according to the Chinese foreign ministry statement published today.
More than 100 warplanes and 10 warships have taken part in live-fire military drills surrounding Taiwan over the past two days, said China today.
The drills, which Xinhua described as being held on an “unprecedented scale,” are China’s response to a visit this week by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
Several airlines have cancelled or re-routed flights to Taipei this week, as China carries out its unprecedented military drills surrounding Taiwan.
Several airlines have cancelled or re-routed flight this week, as China carried out military drills off the coast near Taiwan.
Tokyo, which has been monitoring the military drills announced by Beijing to run until Sunday, said that five of the nine missiles that flew towards its territory landed in its exclusive economic zone.
China has itself sanctioned US House speaker Nancy Pelosi and her immediate family in response to what it called her “vicious” and “provocative” actions, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
China’s firing of missiles into waters less than 160km (100 miles) from Japan in a display of might after Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan will likely bolster public support for a military build-up aimed at defence against Japan’s big neighbour.
“It clearly shows that if anything happened with Taiwan that we will be affected,” said Taro Kono, a senior ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker and former foreign and defence minister.
China has announced unspecified sanctions on US House speaker Nancy Pelosi for her visit earlier this week to Taiwan.
A Chinese foreign ministry statement said today that Ms Pelosi had disregarded China’s concerns and resolute opposition to her visit to the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims.
China, meantime, has shown outrage over US House speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s visit this week to Taiwan — a self-governing island Beijing claims as its own — and launched show-of-force military exercises in response.
US House speaker Nancy Pelosi shakes hands with Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida during a meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo on 5 August 2022
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