Taipei

The US State Department has approved a potential arms sale to Taiwan worth more than 1.1 billion dollars, including 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, the Pentagon said.

"The Kinmen Defense Command announced that three series and three drone strikes were detected over Dadan, Erdan and Shiyu islet as of 4:23 p.m. today," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Two United States warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the American navy said, the first such transit since China staged unprecedented military drills around the island.

China has expressed its outrage after Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb landed in Taiwan on Sunday to hold talks with the leadership of the self-ruled island amid increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Taipei announced that it was not true that Chinese forces had approached the islands, reports Reuters.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, conducted military exercises around the island earlier this month following a visit to Taipei by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

China is upping the ante against Taiwan amid another US congressional delegation visit to the self-governed island.

As China continue to hold military drills near Taiwan's coast after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent visit to Taipei, President Tsai Ing-wen has appealed for international support for the island nation and halt the escalation of the regional security situation.

Taiwan accused the Chinese army of simulating an attack on its main island on Aug. 6, as Beijing continued its retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taipei visit.

Relations between the two superpowers nosedived following Pelosi's trip to China's self-ruled neighbour -- which it claims as its territory -- prompting calls from the UN for an urgent de-escalation of tensions.

"We will not allow them to isolate Taiwan. They are not making our road plan, and the US-Taiwan partnership is strong," Pelosi said, "The Guardian" reported.
She claims that China has tried to isolate Taiwan and that her visit to Taipei is "an excuse for Beijing to conduct military exercises near the island".

Taiwan blasted its "evil neighbour next door" on Aug. 5 after China encircled the island with a series of huge military drills that were condemned by the United States and other Western allies.

During Thursday's military exercises, which continued Friday, China fired ballistic missiles and deployed both fighter jets and warships around Taiwan.