Taiwan Visit Of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: Angry China Launches Military Drills Around Island Nation

Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday (2 August) night launched a massive military drills around Taiwan as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on a visit to the island nation.

The exercise included a long-range live fire drill in the Taiwan Straits and a live fire conventional missile drill to the east of the island nation, according to a Global Times report.

The state-run Global Times report further quoted Xihnua news agency as saying that PLA would also conduct a series of live fire military drills from 4 to 7 August in six different areas that encircle Taiwan from all directions

Pelosi, third-in-command after President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the US government, on Tuesday became the first US House speaker in 25 years, after Speaker Newt Gingrich made the trip in 1997, to land in Taiwan.

Pelosi's visit actively negates the ‘One China’ policy instituted by American president Richard Nixon in 1972, as a precursor to the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

By that policy, designed to save Chinese face, America rather vaguely accepts the Chinese view that Taiwan is a part of China, while permitting America to engage with Taiwan and underwrite its security, equally vaguely.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued a statement Wednesday (3 August) morning condemning alleged US' intrusion of China's sovereignty.

Pelosi blatantly visited the island in disregard of China's solemn representations, which is a serious violation of the one-China principle and malicious violation of China's sovereignty, Wang said, reports Global Times.