A military helicopter belonging to the Chinese military is flying over Pingtan Island in Fujian Province, southern China, adjacent to Taiwan on the 4th. China is conducting the largest-ever military exercises surrounding Taiwan from the 4th to the 7th in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan on the 2nd. [Photo by Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The People's Liberation Army of China began full-scale military exercises, including live-fire drills, around Taiwan from noon on the 4th (1 p.m. Korean time), raising concerns that supply chain disruptions will worsen.
Bloomberg reported on the same day that supply chain disruptions could intensify as ships will have to navigate around the PLA's training areas. The Taiwan Strait between China and Taiwan is one of the busiest maritime logistics routes.
The PLA announced that it will conduct important military exercises and live-fire drills in six designated sea and air zones surrounding Taiwan until noon on the 7th. The Chinese government issued a notice banning the entry of ships and aircraft into the sea and air zones where the exercises will take place.
Bloomberg reported that around noon the previous day, 45 ships were in the Chinese military training area, but the number decreased to 15 ships by noon on the day the PLA exercises began.
China launched a high-intensity show of force, considered a temporary blockade of Taiwan, immediately after Speaker Pelosi's late afternoon arrival in Taiwan on the 2nd, and announced large-scale military exercises from the 4th to the 7th.
As China began its military exercises, the United States also responded. The U.S. Navy announced that its carrier strike group is operating in the Philippine Sea southeast of Taiwan. The U.S. Navy stated, "The USS Ronald Reagan and its carrier strike group are conducting routine and scheduled operations in the Philippine Sea as part of regular patrols supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific."
The U.S. military deployed the USS Ronald Reagan to the Philippine Sea on the 2nd, the day Speaker Pelosi visited Taiwan.
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