[Epoch Times, August 6, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Zhang Ting comprehensive report) On Saturday (August 6), the CCP’s retaliatory military exercise against Taiwan entered its third day. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense stated that a number of Chinese warships and aircraft crossed the central line of the Taiwan Strait, and the Chinese Communist Party is suspected of using this military exercise to simulate an attack on Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said that on Saturday morning, it detected several batches of Chinese aircraft and ships moving around the Taiwan Strait, some of which crossed the central line of the strait, and were suspected to be attacking Taiwan during a simulated exercise.
The central line of the Taiwan Strait is an informal buffer zone that divides the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Taiwan’s armed forces sounded the alarm, dispatched air reconnaissance patrols, naval ships and put land-based missile systems on standby in response to China’s military exercises.
The Ministry of National Defense also said that the Chinese military’s military exercise, whether it is launching ballistic missiles or deliberately crossing the center line of the strait to conduct exercises, is a highly provocative act.
Chinese warships and aircraft continued to “approach” the centerline of the Taiwan Strait on Saturday afternoon, a person familiar with security planning said.
Chinese warships and drones simulated attacks on U.S. and Japanese warships off the east coast of Taiwan and near Japanese islands, the person added.
Beijing has been angered by its failure to intimidate U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from visiting Taiwan. Immediately after Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan, the Chinese military announced a four-day military exercise in six waters around Taiwan starting Thursday (August 4). The drills so far have included missile strikes against targets in Taiwan’s north and south waters, echoing China’s last major military exercises in 1995 and 1996 aimed at terrorizing Taiwan’s leaders and voters.
Taiwan has put its military on alert and conducted civil defense exercises, while the United States has deployed a large number of naval assets in the region.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it fired a flare late Friday (August 5) to warn of seven drones flying over Kinmen and an unidentified plane flying over Matsu. Both places are close to the coast of mainland China.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said in a tweet: “Our government and military are closely monitoring China’s military exercises and information warfare operations and are ready to respond if necessary.”
“I call on the international community to support a democratic Taiwan and stop any escalation of the regional security situation,” Tsai Ing-wen said.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that over 300 members of Congress from more than 40 countries around the world have expressed solidarity with Taiwan in response to the serious threat to Taiwan’s security by the CCP’s military exercises.
“Every intimidation and coercion by China against Taiwan has once again made us witness the determination of the global democratic camp to unite against authoritarianism and protect democracy,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said.
After the situation in the Taiwan Strait escalated sharply, the White House summoned Qin Gang, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, on Thursday (August 4) to condemn Beijing’s escalating actions against Taiwan and reiterated that the United States does not want a crisis in the region.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a statement provided to The Washington Post about the summons, “We condemn China’s military actions, which are living up to their expectations. Responsibility is contrary to our long-term goal of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
China has been asking the United States to correct its mistakes, and the White House responded on Friday (August 5) that the United States has nothing to correct. Regarding the Chinese Communist Party’s announcement to suspend various dialogues and cooperation between China and the United States, the White House said that such a move by the Chinese Communist Party has been done before and is part of its “playbook”.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#