China surrounds Taiwan with warships in “targeted military operation” in furious response to US amid WW3 fears

CHINA has promised to encircle the island of Taiwan as part of a “targeted military operation” in response to a controversial visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

State media in China have quoted the country’s defense ministry as saying the People’s Liberation Army will counter Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan to “defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

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These operations will include live fire drills and “war games” on the coast of the island that China claims is a breakaway province.

On Tuesday, China announced a series of life fire drills around Taiwan between Thursday and Sunday.

Merchant ships and flights have been warned to avoid these areas during this time.

China has vowed to “fight to the death” for Taiwan amid the deployment of warships, tanks and fighter jets on its southeast coast, just 100 miles from the island.

It comes as Nancy Pelosi lands in Taiwan, defying repeated threats from Beijing over the controversial visit – the first by a senior US politician in 25 years.

As the veteran politician’s plane entered Taiwanese airspace, local publication SETN reported that two Chinese jets had flown into Taiwan’s airspace in the south-west of the country shortly before arriving to follow it.

Pelosi is set to meet Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday morning.

However, her visit was not greeted with general acclaim in Taiwan, with a small counter-protest there to greet her at the airport.

A protester held up a banner that read “Americans out.”

China has subpoenaed the US ambassador in a furious response, accusing Pelosi of “playing with fire” and saying the US “must pay the price for its mistake.”

The country’s foreign ministry said: “For its part, the United States has tried to use Taiwan to contain China.

“It constantly distorts, obscures and undermines the ‘One China’ principle, intensifies its official exchanges with Taiwan, and encourages ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist activities.

“These movements, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Whoever plays with fire will perish.”

The statement also referred to Taiwan as an “inalienable part of Chinese territory,” Channel News Asia reported.

Whoever plays with fire will perish

China’s Foreign Ministry

It follows Chinese President Xi Jinping’s phone call to Joe Biden last week in which he warned of “playing with fire and getting burned” on Taiwan.

After landing, Pelosi denied that her visit “contradicted” longstanding US policy toward Taiwan.

“Our delegation’s visit to Taiwan recognizes America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy,” she said. “Our discussions with the Taiwanese leaders reaffirm our support for our partner and advance our common interests, including promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

In response, the US Navy has stationed four warships east of Taiwan, while Chinese ships and planes have moved near the Taiwan Strait midline.

Surreal shots show the bizarre moment of a column Chinese tanks make their way along a crowded tourist beach on the opposite coast of Taiwan.

The hyperbolic rhetoric has sparked fears of major fighter jet incursions by China into Taiwan’s territory.

Last October, a record 56 Chinese warplanes entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, coinciding with nearby US-led military exercises.

China could potentially maintain this level of air warfare for days, if not weeks, and overwhelm Taiwan’s smaller air force as it tries to rout planes.

Beijing will have to respond militarily, “in a way that represents a clear escalation of previous shows of force,” Amanda Hsiao of the Taiwan-based Crisis Group told MSN.

There are also rumors of a possible missile test near Taiwan as an act of provocation.

In the recent military exercise in the South China Sea in August 2020, the People’s Liberation Army launched “carrier-killer” ballistic missiles in an apparent response to US naval exercises.

China could also inflict economic pain on Taiwan, the island nation’s largest trading partner.

On Monday, Taipei had a glimpse after Beijing banned food imports from more than 100 Taiwanese suppliers.

China has also imposed sanctions on various Taiwanese leaders, including travel bans to the mainland.

If China cuts off shipping across the Taiwan Strait, a key global trade route, it could hurt its own economy.

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