China set to continue military drills

As the military announced it would resume maneuvers around Taiwan on Monday, China's defense ministry defended its decision to halt military discussions with the United States in protest against Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei last week.

Following four days of unprecedented drills surrounding the self-governing island, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) announced online that it will practice anti-submarine strikes and sea raids on Monday.

In an online statement on Monday, Wu Qian, a spokesman for the defense ministry, defended the decision to shut off military lines by asserting that the US side was solely to blame for the difficult situation in the Taiwan Strait, for which it must take full responsibility and face severe repercussions.

Wu declared that communication must be sincere in order to succeed.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own, was incensed by Pelosi's visit last week and responded by conducting its first-ever test launch of a ballistic missile over Taipei as well as cutting off some communication channels with Washington.

Although the drills were supposed to stop on Sunday after four days, Chinese authorities did not formally announce it, which led some security analysts to worry that things could get worse in the Taiwan Strait, particularly close to the unofficial median line buffer.

A person involved in security planning who is familiar with the situation said that on Sunday, about 10 vessels from China and Taiwan each maneuvered closely near the line.

Chinese military drones, aircraft, and ships, according to the island's defense ministry, have practiced attacks on the island and its fleet. It claimed to have sent ships and aircraft to respond "appropriately".

As Pelosi left the area on Friday, China ended official discussions involving theater-level commands, coordination of defense policy, and military maritime consultations.

Officials from the Pentagon, State Department, and White House denounced the action and called it an unwise overreaction.

Security analysts and diplomats believe that China's shutting of some of its few communication lines with the US military increases the potential of an unintentional escalation over Taiwan at a crucial time.

One US official highlighted that despite the prior week's tensions, Chinese officials had not returned calls from senior Pentagon officials, but they did not interpret this as a formal rupture of connections with senior leaders like US defense secretary Lloyd Austin.

Wu responded to a direct question on such reports by stating that China's "related countermeasures are a required warning to the provocations of the United States and Taiwan, and a legitimate defense of national sovereignty and security."

Source