China resumes military exercises off Taiwan after shelving talks with USChina

Chinese military announced new drills nearby Taiwanthe day after a major live-fire exercise targeting the territory, including anti-submarine strikes and naval raids, should have ended.

The Defense Department also defended the shelving of military talks with the United States in protest of Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last week.

Last week, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted several days of large-scale live-fire exercises targeting Taiwan. Ends on SundayTheir demise was never announced by the PLA, but evasion notices were reportedly lifted and normal sea and air traffic resumed.

But on Monday, China’s Eastern Theater Command announced it would conduct joint exercises focused on anti-submarine and maritime strike operations, and some security analysts and diplomats said Beijing was putting pressure on Taiwan’s defenses. No further details were provided, and it was not clear when the exercise would begin.

At a press conference on Monday, a spokesman for Taiwan’s defense ministry said it was monitoring the situation.

Separately, the People’s Liberation Army had already announced that it would conduct live-fire exercises with China in five exclusion zones in the Yellow Sea from Sunday through August 15. Taiwanese officials said the region would not affect international flight routes.

Pelosi’s visit last week infuriated China, which saw Taiwan as its own territory, test-launched a ballistic missile over Taipei for the first time, and abandoned some of its talks with Washington.

The island’s defense ministry said Chinese warships, aircraft and drones simulated attacks on the island and its navy, making multiple sea and air incursions across the centerline.

About 10 warships each from China and Taiwan engaged in close quarters battles near the front on Sunday, according to a person familiar with the situation involved in the security program. Taiwan’s defense ministry said it had dispatched aircraft and ships to respond “appropriately.”

At a press conference on Monday, a ministry spokesperson said during the exercise, a PLA ship had intruded into Taiwan’s territorial waters, extending no more than 12 nautical miles from its coastline. He did not say how close the PLA was detected or whether it was within 24 nautical miles of continuous water.

He said the military also identified multiple cyber warfare attacks attributed to China and at least 272 attempts to spread disinformation.

In a furious response, China also canceled formal talks involving theater-level command, defense policy coordination and military-maritime consultations after Pelosi left the region on Friday.

Wu Qian, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Defense, defended the decision to suspend military channels in an online post on Monday, stating: I take full responsibility and serious consequences for this.

“Conclusions cannot be broken and communication requires honesty,” said Wu.

Officials at the Pentagon, State Department and White House condemned the move, calling it an irresponsible overreaction.

Security analysts and diplomats say China’s cutting some of its few communications links with the U.S. military has increased the risk of an accidental escalation of the dispute over Taiwan at a crucial time.

A U.S. official said Chinese officials did not answer calls from senior Pentagon officials amid tensions last week, but they did not see this as a formal severance with senior officials such as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. .

Asked directly about these reports, Wu said, “China’s relevant countermeasures are a necessary warning against US and Taiwan provocations and a legitimate defense of national sovereignty and security.”