BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th April, 2023) The Chinese military will conduct exercises and patrols in the sea and airspace around Taiwan starting Saturday, in accordance with the combat training plan, Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), said.
The military drills will be held starting from April 8 until April 10, 2023, and will involve patrols around Taiwan and "joint sharp sword exercises" in the Taiwan Strait, as well as in the sea and airspace to the north, south and east of Taiwan, Shi Yi said in a statement on WeChat on Saturday.
No further details on the drills were provided.
On Wednesday, Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other lawmakers in Los Angeles, California, during her transit trip to the country. In response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the contacts between US and Taiwanese officials, calling on Washington to stop upgrading relations with the island.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan � a territory with its own elected government � maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.
