US watching Chinese military drills ‘very closely’ as ballistic missiles fired into Taiwan strait – live

From 3h ago

US watching China military drills ‘very closely’

The US has been watching the Chinese military exercises near Japan “very very closely,” said John Kirby, the US’s National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications.

In an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, Kirby said: “We’ve been watching this very, very closely. It’s concerning. It’s not just concerning to us, but it’s concerning, of course, to the people of Taiwan. It’s concerning to to our allies in the region, especially Japan.”

In recent days, China has been conducting its largest-ever military drills near Taiwan following a controversial visit from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-ruled territory.

When asked whether Pelosi’s trip triggered China’s military drills, Kirby said, “The provocateur here is Beijing. They didn’t have to react this way to what is completely normal travel by congressional members to Taiwan…The Chinese are the ones who are escalating this.”

He also warned the risk of calculation of the drills, saying, “One of the things that’s troublesome about exercises like this or missile launches like this is the risk of calculation, the risk of a mistake that could actually lead to some sort of conflict.”

John Kirby in the Brady room on Tuesday.
John Kirby in the Brady room on Tuesday. Photograph: Al Drago/EPA

Updated at 14.02 EDT

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The Biden administration postponed a routine test launch of an air force Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile to avoid escalating tensions with Beijing amid China’s show of force near Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

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US officials did not say how long the delay might last, but one said it might last 10 days, the report added.

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The air force had planned on conducting the test launch from the Vandenberg base in California.

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The test is usually conducted a few times a year to test the ICBM’s reliability.

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“This is a long-planned test but it is being postponed to remove any misunderstandings given the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] actions around Taiwan,” a defense official told Wall Street Journal.

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In March, the Pentagon cancelled a flight test of a Minuteman III missile to avoid heightening tensions with Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

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The US has been watching the Chinese military exercises near Japan “very very closely,” said John Kirby, the US’s National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications.

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In an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, Kirby said: “We’ve been watching this very, very closely. It’s concerning. It’s not just concerning to us, but it’s concerning, of course, to the people of Taiwan. It’s concerning to to our allies in the region, especially Japan.”

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In recent days, China has been conducting its largest-ever military drills near Taiwan following a controversial visit from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-ruled territory.

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When asked whether Pelosi’s trip triggered China’s military drills, Kirby said, “The provocateur here is Beijing. They didn’t have to react this way to what is completely normal travel by congressional members to Taiwan…The Chinese are the ones who are escalating this.”

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He also warned the risk of calculation of the drills, saying, “One of the things that’s troublesome about exercises like this or missile launches like this is the risk of calculation, the risk of a mistake that could actually lead to some sort of conflict.”

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  • Taiwan’s military has said it is “preparing for war without seeking war” after China’s military began an unprecedented four days of live-fire exercises close to Taiwan’s shores, in reaction to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.
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  • Taiwan’s defence ministry said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had launched 11 Dongfeng series ballistic missiles into the waters north-east and south-west of Taiwan’s main island. Taiwan activated its defences as soon as the first missile was detected at 13.56 local time.
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  • Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” Beijing for “following the example of North Korea in willfully test-firing missiles into waters near other countries”. Taipei also called on the international community to “condemn China’s military coercion”.
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  • The People’s Liberation Army’s eastern theatre command announced it had conducted “long-range live-fire shooting training” in the Taiwan strait, including “precision strikes on specific areas in the eastern part”. It said “expected results had been achieved” but did not clarify what that meant.
  • \n

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  • A Taiwanese official said about ten Chinese navy ships briefly crossed the median line – the informal line dividing Chinese and Taiwanese territorial waters – before they were “driven away” by Taiwanese navy boats. “They sneaked in, and were driven away by us,” they said.
  • \n

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  • Taiwan also said multiple Chinese air force planes briefly crossed the median line several times on Thursday morning, forcing Taiwan to scramble jets and deploy missile systems to track their movement.
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  • Japan’s defence ministry said five missiles launched by China during the drills had fallen into its exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles – or 370km -from Japan’s coast. Tokyo has protested to Beijing.
  • \n

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  • Video footage purporting to show the launch of several missiles was shown on Chinese state television. The footage has not been independently verified.
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  • Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the US, Hsiao Bi-khim, has said on social media that “China’s irresponsible and dangerous behaviour has jeopardised regional peace. Taiwan will resolutely defend ourselves.”
  • \n

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  • The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, on a visit to Cambodia, said the US opposes any unilateral efforts to change the Taiwan status quo, especially by force, and its policy on Taiwan has not changed
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  • Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said China had the sovereign right to hold major military drills around Taiwan, and accused the US of artificially fuelling tensions in the region, calling Pelosi’s visit “an unnecessary provocation.”
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  • The Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, earlier described US house speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as a “complete farce” at meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Cambodia. “The irreversible historical trend of Taiwan’s return to the motherland cannot be changed. Those who offend China will surely be punished,” he said.
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  • The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said China had no reason to overreact after Pelosi visited, saying “The US and other Nato allies have paid visits with high-ranking officials to Taiwan regularly over the years, and therefore this is no reason for China to overreact.”
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  • Notices of the exercises identified six areas encircling Taiwan, with warnings for all ships and aircraft to “not enter the relevant sea areas and airspace”. Some of the zones overlap with Taiwan’s territorial waters, and are near key shipping ports.
  • \n

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The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said that China has no reason to overreact after US politician Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. Reuters quotes his saying:

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The visit of Nancy Pelosi is no reason for China to overreact or threaten Taiwan or to use threatening rhetoric. The US and other Nato allies have paid visits with high-ranking officials to Taiwan regularly over the years, and therefore this is no reason for China to overreact

\n

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Japan’s defence ministry said five missiles launched by China during its drills near Taiwan had fallen into Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles – or 370km – from Japan’s coast. Tokyo has protested to Beijing.

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Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the US, Hsiao Bi-khim, has said on social media that “China’s irresponsible and dangerous behaviour has jeopardised regional peace. Taiwan will resolutely defend ourselves.”

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China’s irresponsible and dangerous behavior has jeopardized regional peace. Taiwan will resolutely defend ourselves. https://t.co/SuZzxQtUXh

&mdash; Bi-khim Hsiao 蕭美琴 (@bikhim) August 4, 2022

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She shared a post from Taiwan’s ministry of defence in which it confirmed that its defence systems had been activated once it had detected the firing of the first Chinese missiles at 1.56pm local time. China launched several Dongfeng ballistic missiles into waters around the north-east and south-west coasts of Taiwan early today.

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The US and Taiwan don’t officially have diplomatic relations, but Hsiao Bi-khim acts as Taiwan’s representative.

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Russia has backed China’s right to carry out military exercises.

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Reuters reports a Kremlin spokesperson said China had the sovereign right to hold major military drills around Taiwan, and accused the US of artificially fuelling tensions in the region.

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“The tension in the region and around Taiwan was provoked by the visit of Nancy Pelosi,” Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. “It was an absolutely unnecessary visit and an unnecessary provocation.”

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The US opposes any unilateral efforts to change the Taiwan status quo, especially by force, and its policy on Taiwan has not changed, secretary of state Antony Blinken has told his south-east Asian counterparts.

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Cross-straits stability was in the interests of the whole region, Reuters reports that Blinken told a meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

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US opposes unilateral efforts to change Taiwan status quo","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Thu 4 Aug 2022 15.23 EDT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 3 Aug 2022 18.53 EDT"},{"id":"62eb983d8f0892e28b4ab9ee","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Taiwan’s foreign ministry has said China “imitated” North Korea by firing missiles into waters near the island earlier in the day and called for self-restraint amid high tensions with Beijing.

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It said it strongly condemned the actions, and called on the international community to jointly condemn China’s military threat. It urged other countries to continue to support democratic Taiwan, and to continue to hold up the international rule of law.

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In addition, Reuters reports Taiwan now says that the Chinese missile launches came in waves lasting from 1356 to 1600 local time. It is now just gone 6pm in Taiwan.

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Taiwan’s defence ministry appears to have confirmed those reports of missiles fired near Matsu. In a statement a short time ago it said the PLA had launched a number of Dongfeng series missiles into the waters northeast and southwest of Taiwan’s main island.

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Earlier the PLA announced it had conducted long range “precision strikes” into the Taiwan Strait at 1pm, and civilian videos purportedly of projectiles launching from behind an otherwise picturesque Chinese beach in Pingtan spread across social media. The Guardian has not independently verified the footage.

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    \n

  • Taiwan’s military has said it is “preparing for war without seeking war”, after China’s military began an unprecedented four days of live-fire exercises close to Taiwan’s shores on Thursday, in reaction to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.
  • \n

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    \n

  • At midday local time, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV announced the beginning of “important military training exercise and organised live fire”, which are expected to include missile tests.
  • \n

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    \n

  • Notices of the exercises identified six areas encircling Taiwan, with warnings for all ships and aircraft to avoid the areas. Some of the zones overlap with Taiwan’s territorial waters, and are near key shipping ports. Taiwan’s defence ministry has accused China of in effect mounting a blockade.
  • \n

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    \n

  • A Taiwanese official said about ten Chinese navy ships briefly crossed the median line – the informal line dividing Chinese and Taiwanese territorial waters – before they were “driven away” by Taiwanese navy boats. “They sneaked in, and were driven away by us,” they said.
  • \n

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    \n

  • Taiwan also said multiple Chinese air force planes briefly crossed the median line several times on Thursday morning, forcing Taiwan to scramble jets and deploy missile systems to track their movement.
  • \n

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    \n

  • Unverified video appears to show live rockets being fired from the China towards Taiwan. AFP journalists in the border island of Pingtan saw several small projectiles flying into the sky followed by plumes of white smoke and loud booming sounds.
  • \n

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    \n

  • Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Bureau has issued warnings to ships to avoid the areas being used. The Taiwanese cabinet said the drills would disrupt 18 international routes passing through its flight information region (FIR).
  • \n

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The Chinese military drills around Taiwan’s main island have started, according to Chinese state media.

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At midday local time, state broadcaster CCTV said:

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\n

From 12:00 today to 12:00 [0400 GMT] on the 7th, the People’s Liberation Army is conducting an important military training exercise and organised live fire.

\n

During this actual combat exercises, six major areas around the island were selected and during this period all ships and aircraft should not enter the relevant sea areas and airspace.”

\n

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The six identified zones surround the island, and occasionally overlap with Taiwanese territorial waters. Some are also very close to key ports and Taiwanese authorities have accused the PLA of in effect conducting a blockade – a very serious accusation.

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“The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on Thursday conducted large-scale military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills around Taiwan island,” the broadcaster added.

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Taiwan’s ministry of defence said its armed forces are “operating as usual” and monitoring surroundings. “We seek no escalation, but we don’t stand down when it comes to our security and sovereignty,” the ministry said.

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Southeast Asia’s regional bloc Asean has warned that an increase in international and regional volatility could lead to “miscalculation, serious confrontation, open conflicts and unpredictable consequences among major powers”.

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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations made the remarks in a statement from foreign ministers after the bloc’s chair Cambodia had called on all sides to de-escalate tensions over Taiwan.

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The statement was released as China’s foreign minister Wang Yi met with his Asean counterparts in Phnom Penh.

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China’s ambassador to France has said the Taiwanese people would be “reeducated” after any successful annexation by China, in a fiery interview on French television.

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The ambassador, Lu Shaye, accused Taiwan’s governing Democratic Progressive Party of conducting “extremist” propaganda and turning the Taiwanese people against “reunification” with China.

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We will re-educate. I’m sure that…the Taiwanese population will again become favourable of the reunification, and will become patriots again,” he said.

\n

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Online, many observers noted the term “reeducation” is also used to describe Chinese authorities treatment of Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslims in Xinjiang.

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There, authorities have sent an estimated 1-2 million people through what Beijing terms as “vocational education and training centres”.

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Human rights groups and other governments say they are in fact part of a massive detention network. Lu denied the re-education would happen under threat, comparing it to French education of students on the values of its republic.

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Challenged by the interviewer that Beijing wanted to have people thinking “correctly” in line with its own position because it did not like resistance, Lu said resistance “is not…the problem”.

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“The Taiwanese authorities apply an approach of… how should I say… slicing the salami – advancing bit by bit. If we don’t react, if we don’t respond, in the end they will achieve their goal: independence.”

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Lu said “the majority” of Taiwan’s population were in favour of formally becoming a part of China just one or two decades ago. It wasn’t clear what his claim was based on.

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An analysis of dozens of polls conducted by various organisations between 1994 and 2000 show that only on two occasions have a majority of respondents supported unification. Both were polls conducted by the policy council of the current opposition Kuomintang party, in 2000.

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All other polls showed support between 15 and 30%.Recent polling has found support for unification to be at record lows. One poll conducted by National Chengchi University’s Election Study Centre (ESC) in June found just 1.3% of respondents wanted unification “as soon as possible”, and 5.2% wanted to maintain the status quo before an eventual “move toward unification,”.

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Chinese ambassador to France saying Taiwan would be subjected to “reeducation” after annexation, ie the Xinjiang treatment https://t.co/tsJ39Jo8ur

&mdash; Chris Horton 何貴森 (@heguisen) August 3, 2022

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China’s foreign minister Wang Yi has called US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan a “complete farce”.

“The irreversible historical trend of Taiwan’s return to the motherland cannot be changed. Those who offend China will surely be punished,” he said.

Wang made the remarks on the sidelines of the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Cambodia on Wednesday.

The United States is violating China’s sovereignty under the guise of “democracy,” he told reporters.

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Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen and others ride the coattails of the United States and act against the noble cause of the Chinese nation.

\n

These perverse actions will not alter the international consensus on the one-China principle, nor the historical trend that Taiwan will return to the motherland.”

\n

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China's SC&amp;FM Wang Yi: Speaker Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan region is an out-and-out farce. The irreversible historical trend of Taiwan’s return to the motherland cannot be changed. Those who offend China will surely be punished. pic.twitter.com/OXcnHf7u0T

&mdash; Qin Gang 秦刚 (@AmbQinGang) August 3, 2022

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Taiwan has pledged to step up security against possible disruptions by “overseas forces” including cyber-attacks as tensions with China rise following Pelosi’s visit to Tapei on Wednesday.

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Taiwan Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng told a media briefing authorities had stepped security at key infrastructure including power plants and airports and increased the cybersecurity alertness level across government offices, according to a report from Reuters.

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Lo said Taiwan expects to be the target in coming days of increased “psychological warfare”, which describes influence campaigns including misinformation to sway public opinion.

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We are seeing psychological warfare that is stronger than ever before, and it will intensify in the coming days,” Lo said.

\n

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Taiwan officials have repeatedly warned about what they see as a Chinese campaign to weaken people’s support for the government.

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Digital minister Audrey Tang said cyber-attacks on Taiwan government units on Tuesday surpassed 15,000 gigabits, 23 times higher than the previous daily record.

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Several government websites including the presidential office were subject to overseas cyber-attacks, some of which authorities said were launched by China and Russia.

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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Seoul on Wednesday night where she is scheduled to meet with South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and leaders of the ruling conservative People Power Party, as well as the opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

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Earlier reports suggested South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol had no plans to meet with the senior US official as he is currently on a summer holiday.

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However, Yonhap news agency is now reporting that Yoon will speak by phone with Pelosi during her visit.

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The Taiwan defence ministry has said its website suffered cyber-attacks and went offline temporarily on Thursday, adding it is working closely with other authorities to enhance cybersecurity as tensions with China rise.

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Earlier this week, several government websites, including the presidential office, were subject to overseas cyber-attacks, some of which authorities said were launched by China and Russia.

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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi concluded her visit to Taiwan on Wednesday with a pledge that the American commitment to democracy on the self-governing island and elsewhere “remains ironclad.”

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Pelosi received a euphoric welcome as the first US House speaker to visit in more than 25 years.

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Before leaving, a calm but resolute Pelosi repeated previous remarks about the world facing “a choice between democracy and autocracy.”

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America’s determination to preserve democracy, here in Taiwan and around the world, remains ironclad,” she said.

\n

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The Biden administration, and Pelosi, have said that the United States remains committed to the so-called one-China policy, which recognises Beijing but allows informal relations and defence ties with Taipei.

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Thanking Pelosi for her decades of support for Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen presented her with a civilian honour, the Order of the Propitious Clouds.

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I led a Congressional delegation to Taiwan to make crystal clear that America stands with the people of Taiwan – and all those committed to Democracy and human rights.

Check out this video of our historic visit to Taipei. pic.twitter.com/TON6zB3x4s

&mdash; Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 3, 2022

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Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Thursday that unidentified aircraft, probably drones, had flown on Wednesday night above the area of its Kinmen islands, which are just off the southeastern coast of China, and that it had fired flares to drive them away.

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A senior military official at Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen islands added that the situation is “normal” on the islands, including it military alertness level, according to a recent Reuters report.

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fires flares to drive away drones near Kinmen islands","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Thu 4 Aug 2022 15.23 EDT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 3 Aug 2022 18.53 EDT"},{"id":"62eb0a758f0892e28b4ab62b","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

The world’s most powerful democracies have slammed China for “increasing tensions and destabilising the region” over its response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

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The G7’s top diplomats on Wednesday said they were “concerned by recent and announced threatening actions by the People’s Republic of China, particularly live-fire exercises and economic coercion, which risk unnecessary escalation”.

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The statement from the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US and the EU, read:

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There is no justification to use a visit as pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait. It is normal and routine for legislators from our countries to travel internationally.

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The PRC’s escalatory response risks increasing tensions and destabilising the region.

\n

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It urged China not to “unilaterally change the status quo by force in the region, and to resolve cross-strait differences by peaceful means”.

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They also made clear there was “no change in the respective one-China policies, where applicable, and basic positions on Taiwan of the G7 members”.

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[We] encourage all parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, act with transparency, and maintain open lines of communication to prevent misunderstanding.”

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Following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s high-profile visit to Taiwan, the senior US official arrived in Seoul on Wednesday night as part of her Asian tour.

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The congresswoman, who is second in line to the US presidency, will on Thursday meet South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and leaders of the ruling conservative People Power Party, as well as the opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

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However, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol has no plans to meet Pelosi as he is currently on a summer holiday, an official at the presidential office told SCMP.

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The official denied earlier press reports that Yoon, who is taking a break at his home in Seoul, may head out to receive Pelosi.

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In the first place, there was no such a plan (for Yoon’s meeting with Pelosi) as the president’s vacation schedule coincides with her visit here.”

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The presidential office “welcomes” Pelosi’s visit to South Korea and it hopes her talks with National Assembly Speaker Kim will be productive, the official said.

","elementId":"c2a9bbfe-7899-459e-9577-88a6be01d0af"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Asked about Pelosi’s controversial visit to Taiwan, she said: “Our government’s stance is that we will maintain close communication with the nations concerned on all issues under the banner of the need for peace and stability in the region through dialogue and cooperation.”

","elementId":"d2e691ce-6953-4658-a47b-b8175efd14b4"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Speculation mounted on social media.

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“Because of vacation? No way. Yoon is not meeting Pelosi as he is nunchi-ing around China,” one post read. Had this happened to Yoon’s predecessor – liberal former president Moon Jae-in – conservatives and news media would have “raised hell with it” and accused Moon of nunchi-ing around Beijing, the post added.

","elementId":"452ec7d6-1125-4c25-afad-47122ed5c17a"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1659569277000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"19.27 EDT","blockLastUpdated":1659572215000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"20.16 EDT","blockFirstPublished":1659570231000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"19.43 EDT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"19.43","title":"South Korean President won’t be meeting Pelosi in Seoul, on holiday","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Thu 4 Aug 2022 15.23 EDT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 3 Aug 2022 18.53 EDT"},{"id":"62eaf5b78f08b58de97ec28c","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

The former Chinese ambassador to the UK issued a scathing statement overnight, warning the US to stop obstructing China’s “great cause of reunification” and describing the process as a “historical inevitability”.

","elementId":"8f7ccae1-6789-4d9f-a3c9-9fb830e9ad6a"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Liu Xiao Ming said:

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\n

The United States should not fantasise about obstructing China’s great cause of reunification. Taiwan is part of China.

\n

Realising complete national reunification is the general trend and a historical inevitability. We will never leave any space for ‘Taiwan independence’ split and interference from external forces.

\n

No matter what way the US supports and condones ‘Taiwan independence’, it will ultimately be a sham, and it will only leave more ugly records of the US grossly interfering in other countries’ internal affairs in history.

\n

The Taiwan issue was born out of the country’s weakness and chaos, and it will surely end with the rejuvenation of the nation in the future.”

\n

","elementId":"e6476c93-37b3-4f8a-b27f-774b95cb3fb5"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TweetBlockElement","html":"

美国不要幻想阻挠中国的统一大业。台湾是中国的一部分。实现国家完全统一是大势所趋,是历史必然。我们绝不会为“台独”分裂和外部势力干涉留下任何空间。美方不论以什么方式支持纵容“台独”,最终都将是竹篮打水一场空,只会在历史上留下更多美国粗暴干涉别国内政的丑陋记录。

&mdash; 刘晓明Liu Xiaoming (@AmbLiuXiaoMing) August 3, 2022

\n","url":"https://twitter.com/AmbLiuXiaoMing/status/1554837161664323584","id":"1554837161664323584","hasMedia":false,"role":"inline","isThirdPartyTracking":false,"source":"Twitter","elementId":"4f0e6d87-b6cd-43b3-a7b7-916bde79f94a"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1659567184000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"18.53 EDT","blockLastUpdated":1659568193000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"19.09 EDT","blockFirstPublished":1659568194000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"19.09 EDT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"19.09","title":"China claiming Taiwan’s territory a ‘historical inevitability’, former ambassador to UK says","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Thu 4 Aug 2022 15.23 EDT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 3 Aug 2022 18.53 EDT"},{"id":"62eaf59b8f0878ca99e20a3d","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of tensions between China and Taiwan.

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I’m Samantha Lock and I will be bringing you all the latest developments.

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It is approaching 7am in Beijing. Here is everything you might have missed:

","elementId":"ea81f5bf-43b5-4cb0-83d3-66960dddc1e8"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

    \n

  • China is to begin a series of unprecedented live-fire drills that would effectively blockade the island of Taiwan, just hours after the departure of US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, whose controversial visit this week has sparked fears of a crisis in the Taiwan strait.
  • \n

  • Taiwan has characterised the drills as a violation of international law. The drills will last until Sunday afternoon – and will include missile tests and other “military operations” as close as nine miles to Taiwan’s coastline.
  • \n

  • Ahead of the drill, Taiwan said 27 Chinese warplanes had entered its air defence zone.
  • \n

  • Pelosi arrived in Taipei on Tuesday night under intense global scrutiny, and was met by the foreign minister Joseph Wu and the US representative in Taiwan, Sandra Oudkirk.
  • \n

  • Pelosi addressed Taiwan’s parliament on Wednesday before having public and private meetings with the president, Tsai Ing-wen. “Our delegation came to Taiwan to make unequivocally clear we will not abandon Taiwan, and we are proud of our enduring friendship,” she said, adding that US solidarity with Taiwan was “crucial” in facing an increasingly authoritarian China.
  • \n

  • In a later statement, she said China could not prevent world leaders from travelling to Taiwan “to pay respect to its flourishing democracy”.
  • \n

  • Pelosi’s trip generated condemnation from Beijing and sparked fears of a new Taiwan strait crisis.
  • \n

  • China vowed “consequences” and announced military exercises in waters around the island on Thursday to show its dissatisfaction.
  • \n

  • Taiwan’s defence ministry accused Beijing of planning to violate the international convention on the law of sea, by breaching Taiwan’s sovereign territory.
  • \n

  • Taiwanese authorities have said the proximity to some major ports combined with orders for all aircraft and sea vessels to steer clear of the area amount to a blockade.
  • \n

  • While China’s military often holds live-fire exercises in the strait and surrounding seas, those planned for this week encircle Taiwan’s main island and target areas within its territorial sea.
  • \n

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Key events

South Korea has temporarily cancelled its flights to Taiwan as a result of the ongoing military drills conducted by China.

According to local Korean media, Korean Air cancelled flights between Incheon and Taiwan on Friday and Saturday. The airline also delayed the schedule of Sunday’s flights by an hour.

Similarly, Asiana shifted Thursday’s flight up by three hours and cancelled Friday’s flight to Taiwan.

Singaporean carriers have also been avoiding areas that are impacted by China’s military drills and live firing exercises, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore on Thursday.

CAAS said that China released a notice to airmen on Tuesday that banned aircraft from flying into certain areas that are affected by the live firing exercises between Thursday and Sunday.

“Singapore carriers have taken note of the (notice) as part of their standard operating procedures and are avoiding the affected areas,” CAAS said.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said Thursday he “hopes very much that Beijing will not manufacture a crisis or seek a pretense to increase its aggressive military action”.

Addressing the ASEAN-US summit, Blinkensaid “many countries around the world believe that escalation serves no one and could have unintended consequences that serve no one’s interests, including ASEAN members and including China.”

“We’ve reached out to engage our PRC counterparts in recent days at every level of government to convey this message … Maintaining cross-stability is the interest all countries in the region, including all of our colleagues within ASEAN,” he said.

He added: “The US continues to have an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan strait. We oppose any unilateral efforts to change the status quo, especially by force.”

Antony Blinken in Phnom Penh on Thursday.
Antony Blinken in Phnom Penh on Thursday. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

Updated at 15.12 EDT

Biden postpones routine missile test launch, reports say

The Biden administration postponed a routine test launch of an air force Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile to avoid escalating tensions with Beijing amid China’s show of force near Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

US officials did not say how long the delay might last, but one said it might last 10 days, the report added.

The air force had planned on conducting the test launch from the Vandenberg base in California.

The test is usually conducted a few times a year to test the ICBM’s reliability.

“This is a long-planned test but it is being postponed to remove any misunderstandings given the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] actions around Taiwan,” a defense official told Wall Street Journal.

In March, the Pentagon cancelled a flight test of a Minuteman III missile to avoid heightening tensions with Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Updated at 13.51 EDT

US watching China military drills ‘very closely’

The US has been watching the Chinese military exercises near Japan “very very closely,” said John Kirby, the US’s National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications.

In an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, Kirby said: “We’ve been watching this very, very closely. It’s concerning. It’s not just concerning to us, but it’s concerning, of course, to the people of Taiwan. It’s concerning to to our allies in the region, especially Japan.”

In recent days, China has been conducting its largest-ever military drills near Taiwan following a controversial visit from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-ruled territory.

When asked whether Pelosi’s trip triggered China’s military drills, Kirby said, “The provocateur here is Beijing. They didn’t have to react this way to what is completely normal travel by congressional members to Taiwan…The Chinese are the ones who are escalating this.”

He also warned the risk of calculation of the drills, saying, “One of the things that’s troublesome about exercises like this or missile launches like this is the risk of calculation, the risk of a mistake that could actually lead to some sort of conflict.”

John Kirby in the Brady room on Tuesday.
John Kirby in the Brady room on Tuesday. Photograph: Al Drago/EPA

Updated at 14.02 EDT

Taiwan’s defence ministry said its troops fired flares late on Thursday to deter four drones that flew above the area of its Kinmen islands, which are just off the southeastern coast of China, Reuters reports.

Taiwan has been on alert as China conducts a series of military exercises in response to a visit to the island this week by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Commuters wearing face masks ride on a subway train as a TV screen showing China’s CCTV reporting news of military conducting missiles launch exercises, in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022.
Commuters wearing face masks ride on a subway train as a TV screen showing China’s CCTV reporting news of military conducting missiles launch exercises, in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. Photograph: Andy Wong/AP

Updated at 12.24 EDT

China has sent 22 fighter jets across the “median line” running down the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, according to Taipei’s defence ministry.

The Ministry of National Defense said “air defense missile systems” were deployed to track the jets and radio warnings were broadcast, according to an update on its website.

The median line is an unofficial but largely adhered to border that runs down the middle of the Taiwan Strait, separating China and Taiwan. It is rare for military jets to cross it.

Over the last two years, Beijing has increased its military incursions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ).

The ADIZ is not the same as Taiwan’s territorial airspace but includes a far greater area that overlaps with part of China’s own air defence identification zone and even includes some of the mainland.

The vast majority of China’s ADIZ flights occur off the southwestern edge of Taiwan. However, in recent days, there has been a significant increase in the number of median line incursions after Beijing announced massive military drills to protest US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island territory this week.

Of the 49 incursions Taiwan reported on Wednesday and Thursday, 44 involved Chinese aircraft crossing the median line.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo vowed on Thursday to support deterrence against North Korea and achieve its denuclearisation.

“Both sides expressed concerns about the dire situation of North Korea’s growing threat,” they said in a joint statement after meeting in Seoul.

“We agreed to support the efforts of the two governments to achieve practical denuclearisation and peace through international cooperation and diplomatic dialogue, based on the strong and extended deterrence against the North.”

Pelosi added that she and Kim talked about ways to boost cooperation on regional security and economic and climate issues.

Pelosi arrived in South Korea on Wednesday night after her stop in self-ruled Taiwan which infuriated China.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol did not meet Pelosi due to his scheduled vacation this week. Nevertheless, he held a 40-minute phone call with her where he promised close cooperation with the US Congress, Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo said.

South Korean media speculated that Yoon could be shunning meeting Pelosi in person to avoid antagonising China, after her visit to Taiwan outraged Beijing, which claims the self-governed island as its own.

Summary of the day so far …

  • Taiwan’s military has said it is “preparing for war without seeking war” after China’s military began an unprecedented four days of live-fire exercises close to Taiwan’s shores, in reaction to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.
  • Taiwan’s defence ministry said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had launched 11 Dongfeng series ballistic missiles into the waters north-east and south-west of Taiwan’s main island. Taiwan activated its defences as soon as the first missile was detected at 13.56 local time.
  • Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” Beijing for “following the example of North Korea in willfully test-firing missiles into waters near other countries”. Taipei also called on the international community to “condemn China’s military coercion”.
  • The People’s Liberation Army’s eastern theatre command announced it had conducted “long-range live-fire shooting training” in the Taiwan strait, including “precision strikes on specific areas in the eastern part”. It said “expected results had been achieved” but did not clarify what that meant.
  • A Taiwanese official said about ten Chinese navy ships briefly crossed the median line – the informal line dividing Chinese and Taiwanese territorial waters – before they were “driven away” by Taiwanese navy boats. “They sneaked in, and were driven away by us,” they said.
  • Taiwan also said multiple Chinese air force planes briefly crossed the median line several times on Thursday morning, forcing Taiwan to scramble jets and deploy missile systems to track their movement.
  • Japan’s defence ministry said five missiles launched by China during the drills had fallen into its exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles – or 370km -from Japan’s coast. Tokyo has protested to Beijing.
  • Video footage purporting to show the launch of several missiles was shown on Chinese state television. The footage has not been independently verified.
China launches missiles into Taiwan strait after Pelosi visit – video
  • Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the US, Hsiao Bi-khim, has said on social media that “China’s irresponsible and dangerous behaviour has jeopardised regional peace. Taiwan will resolutely defend ourselves.”
  • The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, on a visit to Cambodia, said the US opposes any unilateral efforts to change the Taiwan status quo, especially by force, and its policy on Taiwan has not changed
  • Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said China had the sovereign right to hold major military drills around Taiwan, and accused the US of artificially fuelling tensions in the region, calling Pelosi’s visit “an unnecessary provocation.”
  • The Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, earlier described US house speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as a “complete farce” at meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Cambodia. “The irreversible historical trend of Taiwan’s return to the motherland cannot be changed. Those who offend China will surely be punished,” he said.
  • The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said China had no reason to overreact after Pelosi visited, saying “The US and other Nato allies have paid visits with high-ranking officials to Taiwan regularly over the years, and therefore this is no reason for China to overreact.”
  • Notices of the exercises identified six areas encircling Taiwan, with warnings for all ships and aircraft to “not enter the relevant sea areas and airspace”. Some of the zones overlap with Taiwan’s territorial waters, and are near key shipping ports.
Map showing Taiwan and surrounding area

Updated at 10.04 EDT

Nato’s Stoltenberg: Pelosi visit ‘no reason for China to overreact’

The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said that China has no reason to overreact after US politician Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. Reuters quotes his saying:

The visit of Nancy Pelosi is no reason for China to overreact or threaten Taiwan or to use threatening rhetoric. The US and other Nato allies have paid visits with high-ranking officials to Taiwan regularly over the years, and therefore this is no reason for China to overreact

Updated at 10.02 EDT

Tokyo protests to China after it says five missiles fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zone

Vincent Ni

Vincent Ni

Japan’s defence ministry said five missiles launched by China during its drills near Taiwan had fallen into Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles – or 370km – from Japan’s coast. Tokyo has protested to Beijing.

Updated at 09.27 EDT

Taiwan’s defence ministry confirmed that 11 Chinese Dongfeng ballistic missiles had been fired in waters around the island today.

The last time that happened was in 1996. Taiwan officials said the drills violated UN rules, invaded its space and threatened free air and sea navigation.

In response to Taiwan’s protests against the military drills, Reuters reports that China’s Beijing-based Taiwan Affairs Office said: “Our punishment of pro-Taiwan independence diehards, external forces, is reasonable, lawful.”

Updated at 09.08 EDT

Here are a couple of images sent to us from Beijing today, where people have been going about their day-to-day business while footage of China’s military exercises in the Taiwan Straits plays on TV screens around them.

People walking past a screen broadcasting a news report in Beijing.
People walking past a screen broadcasting a news report in Beijing. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters
Commuters wearing face masks ride on a subway train as a TV screen shows China’s CCTV footage.
State television footage of China’s missile launches is aired on a subway train. Photograph: Andy Wong/AP

Updated at 09.03 EDT

Taiwan representative to US: China’s ‘irresponsible and dangerous behaviour has jeopardised regional peace’

Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the US, Hsiao Bi-khim, has said on social media that “China’s irresponsible and dangerous behaviour has jeopardised regional peace. Taiwan will resolutely defend ourselves.”

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China’s irresponsible and dangerous behavior has jeopardized regional peace. Taiwan will resolutely defend ourselves. https://t.co/SuZzxQtUXh

&mdash; Bi-khim Hsiao 蕭美琴 (@bikhim) August 4, 2022

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China’s irresponsible and dangerous behavior has jeopardized regional peace. Taiwan will resolutely defend ourselves. https://t.co/SuZzxQtUXh

— Bi-khim Hsiao 蕭美琴 (@bikhim) August 4, 2022

She shared a post from Taiwan’s ministry of defence in which it confirmed that its defence systems had been activated once it had detected the firing of the first Chinese missiles at 1.56pm local time. China launched several Dongfeng ballistic missiles into waters around the north-east and south-west coasts of Taiwan early today.

The US and Taiwan don’t officially have diplomatic relations, but Hsiao Bi-khim acts as Taiwan’s representative.

Updated at 08.21 EDT

The Guardian

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