China announced on Saturday, August 19, the start of military exercises around the island of Taiwan. This is reported by the newspaper "Xinhua" with reference to the words of the representative of the eastern zone of the combat command of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) Shi Yi.
"The command of the People's Liberation Army of China on Saturday began military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan," the newspaper writes.
According to the representative, these exercises will be held to practice the actions of military vessels and aircraft, as well as their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces.
Shi Yi also added that these measures were a response to the "collusion of the separatists" of Taiwan Independence"with foreign elements and their provocations." The media suggest that by foreign provocations, China means the recent visit of Vice President of Taiwan William Lai to the United States.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's defense ministry reported that it had already recorded 42 PLA aircraft, 26 of which crossed the "middle line from the Taiwan Strait." In addition, eight vessels were found, along with which one of the aircraft conducted exercises.
The escalation of the conflict between China and Taiwan occurred after the visit of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to the island in August 2022. The Chinese side considers Taiwan to be its territory, therefore it considers visiting the island by officials of other countries as support for Taiwan's independence.
On July 5, Vasily Kashin, director of the HSE Center for Integrated European and International Studies, said that the situation around Taiwan will worsen, the reason for this is the actions of the United States. According to Kashin, the conflict is not predetermined, but there is a significant probability of its beginning between 2024-2027.
The island of Taiwan has been governed by an independent administration since 1949, when the Kuomintang forces led by General Chiang Kai-shek, who lost the civil war with the Communist Party of China, moved to Taiwan. Contacts between the island and mainland China later resumed.
