Taipei said that Chinese military drills involving naval and aerial forces that Beijing carried out on Saturday may be a “possible simulated attack” on the island.
The operations are part of unprecedented military drills Beijing launched in retaliation for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. China also suspended climate and military talks with the U.S.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Saturday on Twitter that it scrambled aircraft and ships after multiple Chinese military “craft” crossed the median line separating its territorial waters from mainland China.
In a separate statement, the ministry said it “detected several batches of Chinese aircraft and warships operating around the Taiwan Strait in the morning, some of which crossed the middle line of the strait.”
Pelosi visited the the self-governing island — which China considers as its territory — earlier this week, sparking anger in Beijing. On Friday, China sanctioned Pelosi and her close family. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called Pelosi’s trip “a gross interference in China’s internal affairs” and an “egregious provocation.”
