Taiwan launched an attack on its “evil neighbour next door” on Friday after China surrounded the island with a series of major military exercises that were condemned by the United States and other Western allies.
As part of military drills that started on Thursday and will go through Friday, China stationed fighter planes and warships close to Taiwan. Multiple no-go danger zones were established by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) all the way around Taiwan, crossing some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and, at times, getting as close as 20 kilometers to the island’s coastlines.
Beijing referred to the war simulations as a “necessary” response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the autonomous, democratic island. Pelosi claimed on Friday that Washington “would not tolerate” China isolating Taiwan in order to explain her trip.
