China announces military exercises in the Taiwan Strait

China announced the organization of "live fire" military exercises Saturday in the Taiwan Strait, in an initiative that precedes a planned visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
However, the maneuvers will be limited geographically and will take place in the immediate vicinity of the Chinese coasts.
China considers Taiwan, the island of 24 million people, part of its territory and intends to reunite it with the Chinese mainland, without ruling out the use of force to do so.
Beijing opposes any initiative that would give the Taiwanese authorities international legitimacy and any official communication between Taiwan and other countries, and therefore it opposes the visit of Nancy Pelosi.
Although US officials regularly visit Taiwan, which is separated by a narrow strip of water from mainland China, Beijing sees Pelosi's visit as a major provocation.
In this context, the Chinese authorities supervising maritime security announced the organization of "military exercises" on Saturday off the coast of Pingtan Island in Fujian Province (east), located opposite Taiwan.
The statement issued Thursday, and carried by Chinese media on Friday, said that "live fire shootings will take place ... between 8:00 and 21:00 (midnight and 13:00 GMT), and any entry" into these waters will be prohibited.
And Pingtan is the closest Chinese region to Taiwan, and the maneuvering area is located Saturday, about 120 kilometers from the Taiwanese coast.
The statement did not mention Pelosi by name, but Beijing has been threatening a few days with "consequences" if the US official implements its project.
"Those who play with fire will eventually burn themselves," Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart Joe Biden on Thursday during a phone call on the Taiwan issue.
On Friday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he hoped the two countries could manage their dispute over Taiwan "wisely."
Washington does not establish diplomatic relations with Taipei and recognizes the communist regime in Beijing as the sole representative of China, but the United States sells the island's weapons and praises its "democracy."
Pelosi may visit her in the coming days.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that if Pelosi requests "military support, we will do what is necessary to ensure that she does her job properly."