China begins second day of military drills; Taiwan say it’s monitoring missiles

China began a second day of drills around Taiwan on Sunday as the island’s defence ministry reported multiple air force sorties and said it was monitoring the movement of China’s missile forces, as the United States said it was watching too.

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, began three days of military exercises around the island on Saturday, the day after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a brief visit to the United States.

While a security source told Reuters most of Saturday’s activities ended by sundown, Taiwan’s defense ministry said they had resumed on Sunday and the island’s military had spotted multiple aircraft including Su-30 and J-11 fighters, as well as ships.

“Regarding the movements of the Chinese communists’ Rocket Force, the nation’s military also has a close grasp through the joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system, and air defense forces remain on high alert,” the ministry said.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force is in charge of China’s land-based missile system.

Last August, following a visit to Taipei by then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, China staged war games around Taiwan including firing missiles into waters close to the island, though it has yet to announce similar drills this time.

While in Los Angeles last week, on what was officially billed a transit on her way back from Central America, Tsai met the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, despite Beijing’s warnings against it.

The de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan said on Sunday that the United States was monitoring China’s drills around Taiwan closely and is “comfortable and confident” it has sufficient resources and capabilities regionally to ensure peace and stability.

U.S. channels of communication with China remain open and the United States had consistently urged restraint and no change to the status quo, said a spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan, which serves as an embassy in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

China begins 2nd day of military drills; U.S., Taiwan monitoring missiles (cnbc.com)