Chinese and Taiwanese warships overshadow each other as a war game to pacify.Taiwan

Chinese and Taiwanese warships overshadowed each other hours before the scheduled end of four days of unprecedented Chinese military exercises launched in response to a visit to China. Taiwan By the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

Nancy Pelosi visited last week Reacted to China enraged by autonomous islands ballistic missile test launch Diplomatic ties with the United States were severed for the first time over the capital Taipei.

about 10 warships each from China The two sides sailed in close combat in the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, with some Chinese ships crossing the center line, according to a person familiar with the matter.

When Chinese forces “squeezed” the perimeter, as they did on Saturday, the Taiwanese side stayed close to surveillance and, if possible, denied the Chinese the ability to cross.

“Both sides are showing restraint,” said the person, describing the operation as a “cat and mouse game.”

“If one tries to cross, the other will get in the way, put them in a worse position, and eventually return to the other side.”

Taiwan said it has land-based anti-ship missiles and Patriot surface-to-air missiles on standby.

China’s exercises centered on six zones around the island were scheduled to begin Thursday and continue until noon Sunday. announced that it is On land and sea attack tests ability.

The US called the exercise an escalation.

“These activities significantly escalate China’s efforts to change the status quo. They are provocative, irresponsible and increase the risk of miscalculation,” a White House spokesperson said.

“They are also at odds with our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which the world expects.”

As part of its response to President Pelosi’s visit, China has suspended communications with the United States through various channels, including between commandos in military theaters and climate change.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has accused China of taking “irresponsible” steps and avoiding prioritizing peaceful resolutions over the use of force.

Taiwan’s military said on Saturday that Chinese ships and planes participating in the exercise were conducting a mock attack on an island that China claims is its territory.

Taiwan’s defense ministry later said Taiwan’s military had scrambled jets to chase off 20 Chinese aircraft, including 14 that crossed the center line. It also detected 14 of her Chinese ships operating around the Taiwan Strait.

The ministry released a photo of a Taiwanese sailor looking closely at a nearby Chinese ship.

The Taiwanese military on Friday fired flares to scare away drones flying over Kinmen and an unidentified aircraft flying over Matsu. Both island groups are close to the coast of China.

“China’s military exercises unilaterally changed the current situation in the region and seriously undermined peace in the Taiwan Strait,” the ministry said.

Pelosi, a longtime China critic and political ally of President Joe Biden, said late Tuesday on the first high-level visit to the island by a US official in decades despite China’s warnings. arrived in Taiwan on Her visit showed the United States’ unwavering commitment to uphold Taiwan’s democracy, she said.

“The world faces a choice between dictatorship and democracy,” she said. She also stressed that her trip was “not meant to change the status quo of Taiwan or the region.”

Taiwan has been self-governing since Mao Zedong’s communists came to power in Beijing after defeating Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang nationalists in a civil war in 1949, prompting a retreat to the island.

China has said its relationship with Taiwan is an internal matter and reserves the right to take control of the island by force if necessary. Taiwan rejects China’s claims, saying that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.

During his visit to the Philippines, Brinken said the United States had heard concerns from allies about China’s dangerous and destabilizing behavior, but the U.S. government tried to avoid escalating the situation.

He said it would punish the world for China to suspend bilateral dialogue in eight key areas.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Mr Blinken was spreading “misinformation”, adding: “We want to warn the United States not to act rashly and not create a bigger crisis.”

China has not mentioned suspending military talks at the highest levels, including US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley. These meetings were rare, but officials say they are important in case of emergency.