TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan asserts that the Chinese army has been
simulating an attack on its main island, as Beijing doubles down on its
retaliation for Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan.
The relations between the US and China have deteriorated significantly in
the wake of Pelosi's trip to China's self-ruled neighbor - which China
claims as its territory - prompting calls from the UN for an urgent
de-escalation of tensions.
On Friday, the environment became the latest victim of geopolitical
jousting, as Beijing announced it would withdraw from a series of talks
and cooperation agreements with Washington, most notably on climate change
and defense cooperation.
The world's two largest polluters have pledged to work together to
accelerate climate action this decade and vowed to meet regularly to
tackle the crisis. However, this deal now looks shaky.
Beijing continued some of its largest-ever military drills around Taiwan
last Saturday, analysts say, practicing a blockade and eventual invasion
of the island.
Taipei observed "multiple" Chinese planes and ships operating in the
Taiwan Strait, believing them to be practicing an attack on the self-ruled
democracy's main island.
Multiple batches of Communist planes and ships are conducting activities
around the Taiwan Strait. Some of these activities have crossed the median
line, which Beijing does not recognize.
China released a video of an air force pilot filming the island's
coastline and mountains from his cockpit in an effort to show just how
close its forces have been getting to Taiwan's shores.
The Chinese army shared a photo it claims shows a warship patrolling near
Taiwan, the island's coastline clearly visible in the background.
Beijing also said they would hold a live-fire drill in a southern part of
the Yellow Sea—located between China and the Korean peninsula—from
Saturday until August 15.
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China's state broadcaster, CCTV, has reported that Chinese missiles have
flown over Taiwan during the exercises — a significant escalation if
confirmed.
Taipei has refused to be intimidated by its "evil neighbor," insisting
that it will not be cowed.
Punishing the whole world
The scale and intensity of China's training has sparked outrage in the
United States and other democracies, and the White House summoned China's
ambassador to Washington on Friday to condemn China's actions.
And Beijing's decision to withdraw from the fraught climate accord is now
raising fears about the future of the planet.
"It's clearly worrisome and unsettling," said Alden Meyer, a senior
researcher at E3G, a climate think tank.
"The climate emergency will not be solved unless the world's first and
second economies and the world's largest and second emitters take action,"
he said. "It's always good that they work together."
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in
Washington that the decision was "primarily irresponsible."
"The climate crisis is really punishing the whole world because we don't
know geographic boundaries or national boundaries", Kirby said. "The
world's biggest emitter now refuses to take meaningful action to tackle
the climate crisis."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the two superpowers must
continue to work together for the good of the world.
"For the Secretary-General, there is no way to solve the world's most pressing problems without effective dialogue and cooperation between the two countries," -spokesman Stephane Dujarric
The new normal
But analysts said in an interview with AFP that the recent decline in
bilateral relations could be deep and lasting, as tensions over Taiwan are
at their highest in 30 years and the risk of military conflict is high.
"The current relationship is very bad", said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert
at the German Marshall Fund. He said the suspension of military and naval
dialogue between the two countries on Friday was "of particular concern"
as China continued its military exercises.
"We don't know what else they're going to do," he said. "I don't know if
it's just a temporary phenomenon."
Former CIA Asia analyst John Culver told a panel hosted by the Center for
Strategic and International Studies that the main goal of Beijing's
military exercises is to change the situation. "I think this is the new
normal," Culver said.
"China wants to show that it has crossed its borders with the speaker's
visit.