China reports new military drills around Taiwan

August 9, 2022: -On Monday, China’s military announced new military drills in the seas and airspace about Taiwan a day after it scheduled to finish its largest exercises ever to oppose the previous week’s visit to Taipei by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

China’s Eastern Theatre Command declared that it would conduct joint drills focusing on anti-submarine and sea assault operations, which confirms the fears of some security analysts and diplomats that Beijing keeps maintaining pressure on Taiwan’s defenses.

Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan infuriated China in the previous week, which regards the self-ruled island as its own, and replied with test launches of ballistic missiles for Taipei for the first time and ditched some lines of dialogue with Washington.

The duration and location of the latest drills are unknown, but Taiwan has already eased aviation restrictions near the six earlier Chinese exercise areas surrounding the island.

Shortly before the recent drills were announced, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, informing him she was moved by his determination to see despite China’s military pressure.

“Prime Minister Gonsalves has recently expressed that the Chinese military drills would not prevent him from seeing friends in Taiwan. These statements have touched us,” Tsai said at a welcome ceremony for Gonsalves in Taipei.

It was serious if Tsai had invited Gonsalves before or after Pelosi’s visit. “We don’t disclose internal planning or talking between governments,” the Taiwanese foreign ministry added when asked by Reuters.

Beyond the firing of 11 short-range ballistic missiles in the four earlier exercises, Chinese warships, fighter jets, and drones maneuvered extensively all over the island.

On Sunday, shortly before those drills ended, almost ten warships from China and Taiwan maneuvered at close quarters in the unofficial median line of the Taiwan Strait, a person known with the situation involved with security planning said.