As the military announced it would resume manoeuvres around Taiwan on Monday, China’s defence ministry defended its decision to halt military discussions with the United States in protest against Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last week.
Following four days of unprecedented drills surrounding the self-governing island, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced online that it will practise anti-submarine strikes and sea raids on Monday.
In an online statement on Monday, Wu Qian, a spokesman for the defence ministry, defended the decision to shut off military lines by asserting that the US side was solely to blame for the difficult situation in the Taiwan Strait, for which it must take full responsibility and face severe repercussions.
Wu declared that communication must be sincere in order to succeed.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own, was incensed by Pelosi’s visit last week and replied by conducting its first-ever test launch of a ballistic missile over Taipei as well as cutting off some communication channels with Washington.
