Taiwan

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.

Multiple Chinese planes and ships were detected around Taiwan Strait, simulating an attack on its main island, the defense Ministry said on Saturday adding that some of them have crossed the median line.

"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".

The ministry assesses that China's military exercises are extremely provocative, "whether it launches ballistic missiles or deliberately crosses the center line of the strait," reports Reuters. Some world media reports that Chinese forces have encircled Taiwan.

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.

According to the world media, China allegedly launched 11 ballistic missiles in waters near Taiwan, the country's defense ministry announced. Also, information emerged that he raised fighter jets in response to military exercises by the Chinese army.

China's People's Liberation Army has begun military exercises involving live fire on the waters and in the airspace around the island of Taiwan, Chinese state television reported on Thursday.

This is happening a day after the visit of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosi, to Taipei, the world media reported, referring to the report of the state television CCTV.

China's largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan kicked off on Aug. 4, in a show of force straddling vital international shipping lanes after a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi left Taiwan Wednesday after a trip that defied a series of stark threats from Beijing, which views the self-ruled island as its territory.

As they state, Chinese forces are blocking the airspace and waters belonging to Taiwan.
As reported by the French news agency AFP, 27 planes entered Taiwan's airspace.