Taiwan will not shy away from military threats. President Tsai Ing-wen said this during a meeting with Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives. Because of Pelosi’s visit, Beijing starts military maneuvers around the island. Taiwan is seen there as a renegade province. “We will continue to defend democracy,” Tsai said.
Pelosi, for her part, indicated in a speech in parliament that Washington will not let go of its obligations to Taiwan. “We praise Taiwan for being one of the freest societies in the world,” she said. “New US legislation aimed at strengthening the US chip industry also offers great opportunities for US-Taiwan economic cooperation.”
In addition to the military threats, Beijing also took specific measures against Taiwan. For example, Chinese customs announced a cessation of imports of citrus fruits and some fish species from Taiwan. The Ministry of Commerce suspended the export of sand to Taiwan. Sand is important in the production of semiconductors, one of Taiwan’s most important exports.
The Chinese military exercises threaten ports and key urban areas on the island, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said. The exercises would last until Sunday. They are an attempt to unilaterally undermine regional peace and stability.
Look at: Greet De Keyser’s opinion on Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan
Japan reacts with concern to the “targeted military actions” announced by China. During the exercises, real long-range ammunition would be fired in the Taiwan Strait. It separates the island from the Chinese mainland.
Pelosi today meets with a former Tiananmen activist, a Hong Kong bookseller once detained by China and a Taiwanese activist recently released by China.
Also read: Nancy Pelosi’s Visit to Taiwan Leads to Military High Tension “This is a Case of Mutual Self-Profiling” (+)
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