China-Taiwan news: Top Taiwan official found dead as China accused of attack simulation
Official had assumed charge to lead various missile production projects that sought to nearly double output
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A top Taiwanese defence ministry official was found dead on Saturday as the self-governing territory accused China of carrying out a “simulated attack” with the country’s warships and planes conducting missions in the Taiwan Strait.
Ou Yang Li-hsing, the deputy head of the Taiwan defence ministry’s research and development unit, died from a heart attack on Saturday in his hotel room, reported state media.
The room had no signs of ‘intrusion’ and his family had a history of heart disease, said the official Central News Agency.
Meanwhile, the defence ministry tweeted on Saturday that multiple Chinese craft conducted missions in the Taiwan Strait, with some crossing the median line which is an unofficial buffer separating the two sides in what it sees as a “possible simulated attack.”
The developments come as Beijing continues its military offensive as it fired multiple ballistic missiles in the direction of Taiwan, four of which flew directly over the capital city Taipei.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken slammed China’s military exercises, saying there was no justification for Beijing’s “extreme disproportionate and escalatory” response.
The statement came as Ms Pelosi reasserted America’s support for Taiwan, saying that China will not be able to isolate the island by preventing US officials from travelling there.
China vows to take more counter-measures over Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan
China’s foreign ministry has said that it will take more counter-measures over Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan earlier this week.
The announcement came as China confirmed that it has halted dialogue with the US on climate change, military issues, and anti-drug work in retaliation.
Full report: China halts cooperation with US on climate change and suspends military dialogue
China says it is suspending all cooperation with the US on climate change, as well as halting high-level military dialogue, as part of a raft of responses to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Read the details in this report from my colleague Stuti Mishra:
China halts cooperation with US on climate change and suspends military dialogue
The measures are the latest in a series of steps that China vowed to take to punish Washington
Across the sea from Taiwan, Chinese tourists defend country’s military action
Tourists on the beaches of Pingtan island, China’s closest point to Taiwan island, yesterday were treated to an unexpected sight: helicopters in formation and smoke trails from projectiles.
The display was part of extensive drills of military hardware in six zones around Taiwan, deployed the day after US House speaker Nancy Pelosi made a solidarity trip to the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.
The residents on Pingtan island defended what China sees as its right to bring Taiwan under its control.
“Taiwan belongs to China. We don’t want any foreign country or foreign force interfering with our domestic problems,” said a 15-year-old student from Wuhan, surnamed Huang.
“Neither side wants to fight. The two governments should negotiate and compromise,” he added.
At a coffee shop in the Pingtan hills, families took turns under a scorching sun to photograph themselves holding pro-unification banners reading “awaiting return”, or “peaceful unification.”
A 27-year-old games designer surnamed You from Fujian province said he believed China should gradually “strengthen” its unification resolve, though not necessarily through “excessive” force.
“In the end, they are compatriots,” You said.
Apple asks suppliers to follow China customs rules – reports
Apple Inc has asked its suppliers to ensure that shipments from Taiwan to China comply with Beijing’s customs regulations to avoid scrutiny, according to a Nikkei report.
Sino-US trade tensions have escalated following US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
The iPhone maker told suppliers that China had started enforcing a long-standing rule that Taiwanese-made parts and components must be labeled as made either in “Taiwan, China” or “Chinese Taipei”, the report added, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Apple iPhone assembler Pegatron Corp said its mainland China plant is operating normally, in response to a media report that shipments to Pegatron’s factory in China were being held for scrutiny by Chinese customs officials.
Taiwanese supply and assembly partners Foxconn and Pegatron are ramping up manufacturing efforts as Apple is set to launch its new iPhone in September.
Taiwan’s foreign minister defends Pelosi’s visit
Taiwan’s foreign minister Joseph Wu defended US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s brief visit to the island as “extremely significant”.
“China has long been trying to isolate Taiwan internationally,” Mr Wu told the BBC. “For an important leader like Speaker Pelosi to have the opportunity to visit Taiwan is very significant. To raise the profile of Taiwan and to allow the international community to understand that Taiwan is a democracy.”
He asserted that the island state wants to maintain the status quo “which is that Taiwan has no jurisdiction over mainland China and the People’s Republic of China (CCP) has no jurisdiction over Taiwan. That is the reality.”
He also slammed China’s “expansionist” behavior.
“Look at their behaviour over Hong Kong, or claiming the East China Sea and the South China Sea. It is the typical expansionism of an authoritarian state,” he said.
“Countries in this region need to watch out for what China is trying to do. Taiwan is not going to be the last piece in Chinese dream of expansionism.”
Taiwan says 68 planes and 13 warships taking part in Taiwan Strait missions
The defence ministry of Taiwan said on Friday that 68 Chinese military planes and 13 ships were taking part in missions in the Taiwan Strait.
The ministry said that some of them “deliberately” crossed the unofficial zone of separation between China and Taiwan, which is known as the median line.
According to Reuters, the ministry criticized the actions, saying that the Chinese armed forces have “seriously damaged” the status quo and that they “harassed” the waters and airspace of Taiwan.
Taiwan defence ministry says China’s drills ‘violated our sovereignty’
The Taiwan Defence Ministry tweeted on Friday that “the recent coercion from PRC’s drills around us aimed to change the status quo of Taiwan Strait, violated our sovereignty, and caused tension in the Indo-Pacific region. #ROCArmedForces seek no escalation, but we succumb to no challenges and respond with reason”.
Earlier on Friday, the ministry announced that the Chinese army “dispatched 68 aircraft and 13 vessels until 17:00 (UTC+8) for the activities around Taiwan Strait, part of which had crossed the median line and jeopardized the status quo of the strait”.
The ministry said that the armed forces of Taiwan responded “accordingly with surveillance systems, CAP aircraft, naval vessels, and missile systems”.
“We condemn such action that disturbed our surrounding airspace and waters and continue to ensure our democracy and freedom free from threats”, the ministry added.
Taiwan foreign minister says China crossed median line to ‘simulate attacks’
The foreign minister of Taiwan Joseph Wu has tweeted that many of the Chinese planes and vessels “crossed the median line of the strait” on Friday “to simulate attacks”.
“This dangerous escalation of the military threat is wrecking peace & stability in the region and must be condemned”, he wrote on the account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
NSC spokesman says US does not want ‘crisis’ but will not be stopped from traveling the Pacific
National Security Council spokesman Adrmiral John Kirby told Reuters that Chinese ambassador Qin Gang was called to the White House to discuss the latest spike in tensions between the US and Beijing. According to Mr Kirby, the ambassador was told that China’s reaction to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was irresponsible and incongruent with the goals of maintaning global peace and stability. According to Mr Kirby, the White House impressed on the ambassador that the US does not want “a crisis” but will also not be deterred from free travel throughout the Pacific.
“We also made clear that the United States is prepared for what Beijing chooses to do. We will not seek and do not want a crisis,” Mr Kirby said. “At the same time, we will not be deterred from operating in the seas and skies of the Western Pacific, consistent with international law, as we have for decades, and supporting Taiwan and defending a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Taiwan’s Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang told reporters Friday that he was calling on China to de-escalate after it began holding live-fire drills in a protest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. He asked for Taiwan’s allies to support the call for peace.
The prime minister said Taipei did not expect China to disrupt one of the world’s busiesest waterways over a diplomat’s visit.
“(We) didn’t expect that the evil neighbour next door would show off its power at our door and arbitrarily jeopardise the busiest waterways in the world with its military exercises,” he said.
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