China has finished military exercises near Taiwan after six days. The military says it has “successfully completed” several tasks around Taiwan. The exercises responded to the visit of top American politician Nancy Pelosi to the island state.
The military says via social media Weibo, that its forces will closely monitor changes in the Taiwan Strait, a strait between China and Taiwan. The military will also regularly patrol and continue training to be combat-ready.
According to Taiwan, the exercises were part of preparations for a raid. Taiwan has faced a threat of Chinese invasion since 1949. In that year, the nationalist government fled to the island after the communists led by Mao Zedong had won the civil war in the country. The Beijing government sees Taiwan as a renegade province that must one day be annexed by force if necessary.
The military’s announcement comes on the same day as China’s publication of a document on Taiwan. Unlike the two previous versions, it no longer promises that no troops will be sent to Taiwan after the area’s annexation.
The penultimate version stated that “everything is negotiable” if Taiwan recognizes that there is one China and does not strive for independence. Unfortunately, this text cannot be found in the new document either.