The head of American deputies is not mentioned in the Beijing press release, but China has been threatening for several days of “consequences” if it is moving its trip. “Those who play with fire eventually burn themselves,” warned Xi Jinping.
Le Monde with AFP
China announced, Friday, July 29, the organization on Saturday of a military exercise “with real ammunition” in the Strait of Taiwan, an initiative taken while the head of the American deputies, Nancy Pelosi, could go soon on the island.
The maneuvers will however be limited in area and will take place in the immediate vicinity of the Chinese coasts. China estimates that Taiwan, populated by around 23 million inhabitants, is one of its provinces, which it has not yet managed to combine with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war, in 1949.
Opposed to any initiative giving the Taiwanese authorities an international legitimacy, Beijing is a standing wind against all official contact between Taiwan and other countries. US officials frequently go to this island, but China considers that a visit to M Me Pelosi, one of the highest characters in the US State, would be a major provocation.
maneuver area 120 kilometers from the Taiwanese coasts
In this context, the Chinese authorities responsible for maritime security said that a “military exercise” would be organized on Saturday off the island of Pingtan, in the Chinese province of Fujian (East) located opposite Taiwan.
“Actual ammunition shots will be made (…) between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. [between 2 am and 3 p.m., Paris hours], and any entry [in these waters] will be prohibited”, specifies the press release dated Thursday, but only reported on Friday by the Chinese media.
Pingtan is, among the territories controlled by the People’s People’s Republic of China, the closest to Taiwan: the maneuvers area on Saturday is located approximately 120 kilometers from the Taiwanese coast. Nancy Pelosi is not mentioned in the press release, but Beijing has been threatening for several days of “consequences” if it is carrying out its movement project.
managing “judiciously” their differences
“Those who play with fire eventually burn themselves,” Chinese president Xi Jinping warned on Thursday during an interview with his American counterpart, Joe Biden, about the Taiwanese issue. Friday, the American secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said to hope that his country and China would succeed in “judiciously” managing their differences on Taiwan.
“It would be important that, within the framework of our shared responsibilities, we are able to continue to manage this judiciously, so as not to risk a conflict, and that we were in communication on this question,” said Mr. . Blinken during a press conference. Washington has no diplomatic relations with Taipei and recognizes the communist regime of Beijing as the only representative of China.
The United States nevertheless sells weapons to the island and praise its “democratic” regime. The potential travel of M Me pelosi to Taiwan could be done in the coming days. General Mark Milley, the chief of staff of the American armies, told the press that if she asked for “military support”, he would do “what is necessary to ensure” a safe “course” of his visit.