Pelosi's Taiwan visit gives clarity over Chinese intentions
Aug 04, 2022
Washington [US], August 4 : The controversial visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan has given an insight into China's intention to invade Taiwan at the nearest opportunity, as per media reports.
People's Liberation Army military aircraft are now regularly dispatched over Taiwan's air defense identification zone which shows a clear act of aggression. More recently, the Chinese military drills commenced around Taiwan's main island hours after Pelosi departed from Taipei.
Pelosi visited Taiwan yesterday, a trip that irked China which strongly opposed military cooperation between Washington and Taipei, warning of longstanding, grave consequences for not just the self-governed island but for other countries as well.
Beijing has been rigorously violating Taiwan's border as it claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
The military drills by China, assuming they go forward, would mark a direct challenge to the Taiwanese coastline.
According to the New York Times map, the planned drills will occur at some places within 10 miles of Taiwan's coast, well past areas that previous live-fire drills have targeted and within areas Taiwan designates as its territorial waters. Two of the regions where China's military will shoot weapons likely missiles and artillery are inside its marine border.
New York Times reported that the five zones surround the island and mark a clear escalation from previous Chinese exercises.
In June, Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) Chief Chen Chi-Chung said that China has violated the international trade rule with their decision of suspending the imports of grouper fish from his country and added that they may raise the issue at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Without giving any prior notice, China's General Administration of Customs announced that it would suspend the grouper fish imports, citing several findings that stated that prohibited chemicals and excessive levels of Oxytetracycline were used in the grouper fish imports since last December, Focus Taiwan reported citing Chen.
The COA Chief claimed that China's strategy has always been to target Taiwanese products that are relatively dependent on the Chinese market, but Taipei has tried to help farmers diversify their markets.
