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Chinese army warships and Taiwan face each other in the Taiwan Strait Shutterstock

Taiwan accuses China of preparing invasion as it holds defence drill

China launched its largest-ever air and sea exercises around Taiwan last week.

TAIWAN HAS HELD an artillery drill simulating defence against an attack, as its top diplomat accused Beijing of preparing to invade the island after days of massive Chinese war games.

China launched its largest-ever air and sea exercises around Taiwan last week in a furious response to a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking American official to visit the self-ruled island in decades.

Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which views its neighbour as part of Chinese territory to be seized one day, by force if necessary.

“China has used the drills in its military playbook to prepare for the invasion of Taiwan,” foreign minister Joseph Wu told a press conference in Taipei today, accusing Beijing of using Pelosi’s visit as a pretext for military action.

august-3-2022-taipei-taiwan-republic-of-china-taiwan-president-tsai-ing-wen-right-and-u-s-speaker-of-the-house-nancy-pelosi-wave-as-they-meet-at-the-presidential-office-in-taipei-taiwan-pel Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen last week Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“China’s real intention is to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and entire region,” he said.

The Chinese military said its Taiwan drills continued on Tuesday and involved air and sea units.

The Eastern Theater command of the People’s Liberation Army said in a statement that it was conducting training exercises around the island, “focusing on joint blockade and joint support operations”.

Taipei’s drill started in the southern county of Pingtung shortly after 4am Irish time with the firing of target flares and artillery, ending just under an hour later at 0130 GMT, said Lou Woei-jye, spokesman for Taiwan’s Eighth Army Corps.

Soldiers fired from howitzers tucked into the coast, hidden from view of the road that leads to popular beach destination Kenting.

The drills, which will also take place on Thursday, included the deployment of hundreds of troops and about 40 howitzers, the army said.

Yesterday, Lou told AFP the drills had been scheduled previously and were not in response to China’s exercises.

The island routinely stages military drills simulating defence against a Chinese invasion, and last month practised repelling attacks from the sea in a “joint interception operation” as part of its largest annual exercises.

‘Not worried’
The anti-landing exercise took place after China extended its own joint sea and air drills around Taiwan on Monday, but Washington said it did not expect an escalation from Beijing.

“I’m not worried, but I’m concerned they’re moving as much as they are. But I don’t think they’re going to do anything more than they are,” Biden told reporters at Dover Air Force Base.

Taiwan’s Wu on Tuesday condemned Beijing for pressing on with military exercises around the island, accusing them of trying to control the Taiwan Strait and waters in the wider Asia-Pacific region.

“It is conducting large-scale military exercises and missile launches, as well as cyber-attacks, a disinformation campaign and economic coercion in order to weaken public morale in Taiwan,” he said.

Wu went on to thank Western allies, including the US after Pelosi’s visit, for standing up to China.

“It also sends a clear message to the world that democracy will not bow to the intimidation of authoritarianism,” he said.

Taiwan has insisted that no Chinese warplanes or ships entered its territorial waters – within 12 nautical miles of land – during Beijing’s drills.

The Chinese military, however, released a video last week of an air force pilot filming the island’s coastline and mountains from his cockpit, showing how close it had come to Taiwan’s shores.

Its ships and planes have also regularly crossed the median line – an unofficial demarcation between China and Taiwan that the former does not recognise – since drills began last week.

Ballistic missiles were fired over Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, during the exercises last week, according to Chinese state media.

‘Issuing a warning’
This morning, the Chinese military released more details about the anti-submarine drills it had conducted a day earlier around the island.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater command said the exercises were aimed at enhancing the ability of air and sea units to work together while hunting submarines.

It said maritime patrol aircraft, fighter jets, helicopters and a destroyer practiced locating and attacking targets in the waters off Taiwan.

The scale and intensity of China’s drills – as well as its withdrawal from key talks on climate and defence – have triggered outrage in the United States and other democracies.

But Beijing on Monday defended its behaviour as “firm, forceful and appropriate” to American provocation.

“(We) are only issuing a warning to the perpetrators,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular briefing, promising China would “firmly smash the Taiwan authorities’ illusion of gaining independence through the US”.

“We urge the US to do some earnest reflection, and immediately correct its mistakes.”

© AFP 2022

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    Mute Nigel Murphy
    Favourite Nigel Murphy
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:02 AM

    Jasus this lad is takin emigration to a hole new level

    216
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    Mute Poonam Anil
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    Feb 3rd 2014, 6:18 AM

    Send all the Irish there

    2
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    Mute Stephen Murphy
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    Feb 10th 2014, 6:50 PM

    What are the odds, Of an Irish person hitting a pothole on their first day?

    4
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    Mute Gowanoutathat
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:03 AM

    Feckin ejits ! The radiation alone will kill a human in months. Dozens of automated missions have to carried out first.
    Spend the 6 billion on trying to make earth a better place to live.
    We’re wrecking this planet, what gives us the right to start wrecking another .

    102
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    Mute Stephen Murphy
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    Feb 10th 2014, 6:54 PM

    We wrecked it already, why do you think we’re here and wrecking this place!

    1
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    Mute Stink Eye
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:09 AM

    Was really enjoying reading this until I saw “55 kilometre voyage”. That’s not really that far now is it.

    Also, in the fifth paragraph “it’s not a simple as that” should obviously be “it’s not as simple..”

    I really enjoy the Journal, but I just can’t fathom how the journalists / authors of the articles make so many errors.

    May I suggest when proof reading, do it out loud so you hear how it sounds.

    97
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    Mute duckduckduck
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:03 AM

    $6bn for the project, $12bn for the CEO and $24bn for the new board of Mars. $48bn for eighteen staff, their pay, pensions, cars and bottles of water.

    Thats $234bn including consultants fees.

    76
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    Mute David Brennan
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:52 AM

    This is the issue I have with this project. Ok people have to get paid for providing a service or their time, but I’m sure someone in this grand scheme is looking at the profit margin.
    So sending 4 people to mars is ambitious and I’d like it to happen but not at the expense of life over money, this is totally pre meditated. If these organisers are really motivated to make history they will do it for nothing. If mankind is really motivated to go to another planet then why don’t we band resources together? Why do it this way, one way trip, TV show… It’s big brother and the public get to VOTE who goes, I can’t believe it is a movie plot!!

    23
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    Mute James O Donoghue
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 11:16 AM

    That’s valled socialism. As far as I can see did not work too well for the USSR in the space race. You do need to invest and you fo make it back ten fold in technological advancements. This Mars mission is alot of crap it will not happen.
    We will see a mission but funded by a state. The likes of nasa will. But it will not be one way. Uproar sending astronaut to death so it must be return trip. Alot of work involved and nasa won’t have the funding unless China threaten America’s space dominance

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    Mute Stephen Murphy
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    Feb 10th 2014, 6:53 PM

    Money would be better spent, solving problems here first and then you can Star trek anywhere after that!

    2
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    Mute Rui Sousa
    Favourite Rui Sousa
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    May 1st 2014, 6:44 PM

    If you look around there’s been lots of money thrown at existing problems, some were solved other not really. It is not always solved by money. $6B will not make a dent on existing budgets to ‘solve existing problems’ and might do some good to create a future for mankind in space.

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    Mute Barry
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:02 AM

    55 kilometres – I would jog that!!

    75
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    Mute Tom Colgan
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:25 AM

    Lifespan of 1year? So we’re sending 20 people on a death mission

    56
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    Mute Cathy Murphy
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 10:16 AM

    Can we nominate people?? There’s a few people it can think of that I’d love to send ;-)

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    Mute fusha2020
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:57 AM

    Do you think that’s how Adam n Eve really got here??

    31
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    Mute alanobrien
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:11 AM

    Will ya ever go way you’s can’t handle the world they love in let alone a new planet

    30
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    Mute Tiger Lyon
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:19 AM

    Any chance they might persuade gilmore and kenny to go.

    21
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    Mute Emmet Walsh
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:45 AM

    Maybe we can persuade you to go too?

    45
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    Mute Ben Frank
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 11:03 AM

    In theory it sounds great to get away from earth and the dreggs of humanity, to go and live with other good people on another planet, and not be held back by the things that hold back humanity here. I honestly wouldn’t be making a big deal over whatever nationallity these guys are. They are soon to be Martians. I would assume these guys are leaving any sort of twisted nationalism behind them and starting over from scratch. Sounds great, but I rather not live in a box for the rest of my life. At least they will be remembered for millenia to come, which is more than what I can say for the rest of us

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    Mute michaelmartin
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 9:50 AM

    Maybe Michael o Leary will fly there

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 10:26 AM

    Hed only go as far as one of its moons.

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    Mute patrick
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 2:02 PM

    Much as it’s nice to say he was chosen from almost a quarter of a million applicants, fewer than 3000 bothered to pay the application fee when it came down to it…

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    Mute Helen Duignan
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 10:04 AM

    Only an Irish man?

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    Mute random
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 1:28 PM

    The rovers they describe laying the groundwork there sound implausible to me. It needs to be able to clear areas of ground, pile earth (or, eh, soil) on top of habitats, cart heavy equipment around, and also assemble equipment (such as connecting hoses and deploying solar panels). So a solar powered robot JCB essentially. It’s a far cry from any of the rovers that have made it to Mars so far! And since all they appear to have is concept art, they would appear to need to design and test this thing in full before the planned launch in 2020.

    It’s an interesting idea anyway. Maybe if they did succeed in getting enough people and equipment there they’d be able to develop the industry necessary to return, so the trips would no longer be so one way.

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    Mute John Curry
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 1:50 PM

    I had a rover 75 once. Couldn’t build for sh*! and the head gasket blew.

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    Mute Rui Sousa
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    May 1st 2014, 6:47 PM

    Completely agree with you on the infrastructure needed to build a viable colony. It would be much heavier then solar-powered rovers. I frankly believe Mars One will never get the funding to go further than training the crews, but that would be a plus already. We’ll probably need Musk’s Mars Colonial Transports to carry tens of colonists at a time plus their heavy machinery to succeed.

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    Mute skoda
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 11:37 PM

    If its a one way it has to be suicide.

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    Mute Manus O Lorcain
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    Feb 2nd 2014, 5:43 PM

    But What if you wanted to go out for a
    kick a round!

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