TAIPEI: A day after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-governing island, which Beijing views as its sovereign territory, China began conducting unprecedented live-fire military drills in six sites surrounding Taiwan on Thursday.
The drills had started and will end on Sunday at 4:00 GMT. It stated that they would involve live shooting over Taiwan’s neighbouring waters and airspace. Officials from Taiwan claim that the exercises are illegal under United Nations regulations, undermine Taiwan’s territorial integrity, and directly interfere with unrestricted air and sea travel.
China is engaging in “irresponsible, illegitimate behaviour” by holding drills on the main international waterways and air corridors. In addition to strongly condemning the drills, Taiwan’s cabinet spokesman said that hackers had hacked the websites of the presidential office, the foreign ministry, and the defence ministry.
