China holds live-fire drill in Taiwan Strait as Pelosi starts Asia trip

BEIJING • China held live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Strait yesterday as United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prepared to arrive in Asia.

The exercises took place off the coast of Fujian province opposite Taiwan.

A warning issued by China's maritime safety agency said the drills would be conducted near Fujian's Pingtan county, about 130km from Hsinchu city across the strait in north-western Taiwan. It was the first live-fire drill announced by the agency in at least a year.

Mrs Pelosi last Friday said she was "very excited" about the prospect of an upcoming trip to Asia, while refusing to confirm any of her itinerary, including whether she will visit Taiwan.

Reports that her travel would include a stop in Taiwan had sparked a furious reaction in China, which regards the self-governing island as part of its territory.

Beijing has warned there will be consequences if Mrs Pelosi visits Taiwan, including a Defence Ministry statement that implied China might use military force in response.

She was scheduled to depart for Asia on Friday, with several media outlets reporting that this trip will include a "tentative" visit to Taiwan, alongside stops in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.

According to the Hong Kong-based newspaper Ta Kung Pao, the Chinese authorities are planning to hold at least five military drills from July 29 to Aug 2 in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed Taiwan at length last Thursday in a more-than-two-hour phone call.

The island is the biggest flash point in the relationship between Beijing and Washington. Neither side said in statements whether Mrs Pelosi's possible Taiwan stop came up.

But a person familiar with the discussion said Mr Xi made it clear to Mr Biden how big a problem it would be for Mrs Pelosi to visit Taiwan - and Mr Biden made it clear to Mr Xi that Mrs Pelosi makes her own decisions as Speaker, and that he cannot control another branch of government.

China has expressed its clear concern over a potential Pelosi visit to Taiwan, Mr Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, told reporters on Friday.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on the same day that the US has "no physical, tangible indications" that China is preparing a military response to a possible Pelosi visit to Taiwan. "We just don't have any concrete indications of something happening from a military perspective on the Chinese part," he told reporters on a conference call.

He also said there was no need for "bellicose rhetoric" coming from Chinese officials because "there's been no change to American policy when it comes to Taiwan".

However, it remains unclear whether Mrs Pelosi will put Taiwan on her schedule.

Other members of Congress in both parties are encouraging Mrs Pelosi to make the stop in Taiwan, saying that avoiding the island after China's protestations would amount to acquiescing to Beijing.

Mrs Pelosi said on Friday that Mr Biden had talked about putting a strong emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region, "and we want the Congress of the United States to be part of that initiative".

BLOOMBERG