China holds combat exercises around Taiwan as US senator visits island OLASMEDIA TV NEWSThis is what we have for you today:
The Chinese military said on Friday, July 8, it was conducting joint preparedness, patrol and combat exercises in the sea and airspace around Taiwan just as a senior US senator was visiting Taipei to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory even though it hasn’t ruled over it for 70 years, is always angry at any form of official interaction between US and Taiwanese officials and routinely describes Taiwan as the most sensitive and important issue in its relations. with Washington.
The exercises, announced by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, were organized in response to “conspiracy and provocation” by the United States and Taiwan, China Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said in a statement.
Several Chinese fighter jets passed through the northern part of the waterway across the centerline of the Taiwan Strait on Friday, July 8, the Taiwanese military said, adding that the plane did not enter Taiwan’s airspace.
The plane “flew straight over” the median line and “circled around” tactical operations, the person said, adding Taiwan’s encrypted fighter jets to intercept the Chinese planes.
“It was a clear provocation message,” the person said, according to Reuters reporting, referring to Friday’s visit to Taipei by US Senator Rick Scott, a senior Republican who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Commission and serves on the Armed Forces Commission. of the Senate.
The Taiwan Air Force said it “fully understands” the situation in the area and is “actively” defending national security. It was not worked out.
Chinese spokesman Wu said Scott’s visit to Taiwan had seriously undermined Sino-US relations and increased tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is ready for war at all times and will take all necessary measures to resolutely thwart the interference of outside forces and the secession attempts of ‘independence of Taiwan’ and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Taiwan’s government has denounced China’s heightened military and political pressure to try to force the island to accept Chinese sovereignty, saying only the 23 million people can decide their future.
“Taiwan will continue to work closely with the United States to jointly ensure the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region,” Tsai told Scott.
After meeting President Tsai in Taipei on Friday, Scott told reporters he believes “the world has changed” after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine.
“We all need to put ourselves in a position to make sure we defend the freedom we all believe in,” he said. “I think it would be helpful if Taiwan were to participate in RIMPAC and I hope it will in the future.”
The Rim of the Pacific exercise, known as RIMPAC, is billed as the world’s largest international maritime exercise, with the latter kicking off late last month with 26 countries participating in exercises around Hawaii and Southern California.