Kremlin says China has right to hold military exercises around Taiwan

O Kremlin said on Thursday that China has a sovereign right to carry out major military exercises around Taiwan and accused the United States of artificially fueling tensions in the region.

China fired several missiles around Taiwan on Thursday as it launched unprecedented military exercises a day after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-governing island Beijing claims as part of its sovereign territory.

Asked about the Chinese exercises, the spokesman for the KremlinDmitry Peskov, said: “This is China’s sovereign right”.

“The tension in and around Taiwan was sparked… by the visit of Nancy Pelosi,” Peskov told reporters on a conference call. “It was an absolutely unnecessary visit and an unnecessary provocation.”

China starts military exercises, fires missiles around Taiwan after Pelosi visit

China’s People’s Liberation Army began military exercises in six areas surrounding Taiwan on Thursday, Chinese state television reported. Activities include live ammunition firing in the waters and airspace around Taiwan.

The exercises come a day after a visit by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, to the island that Beijing considers Chinese territory and are expected to end next Sunday (7), according to the report on state television.

China’s Eastern Command said it completed several rounds of conventional missiles in waters off Taiwan’s east coast on Thursday as part of planned exercises. The island’s Defense Ministry said projectiles were also fired in the waters to the northeast and southwest.

Taiwan has activated its missile systems to track Chinese air force activity and Taiwanese naval vessels are on standby to monitor activity around the island.

Taiwan officials said the exercises violate United Nations (UN) rules, encroach on the island’s territorial space and are a direct challenge to free air and sea navigation.

China is carrying out exercises on the busiest international sea and air routes and this is “irresponsible and illegitimate behavior,” Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said.