Taiwan, China hold opposing military drills amid tensions

By JOHNSON LAI
Associated Press

HUALIEN, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan is staging military exercises to show its ability to resist Chinese pressure to accept Beijing’s political control over the island. The drills Wednesday off the southeastern county of Hualien follow days of Chinese missile firings and incursions into Taiwan’s sea and airspace by ships and planes from the People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of China’s ruling Communist Party. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou said China was using recent visits by U.S. Congress members including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a pretext for escalating its attempts to intimidate Taiwan into accepting what it calls its terms for “peaceful reunification.”