Mainland China, Taiwan and the US spread blame for rising tension, with charges of salami tactics all round

Name: Why mainland China is holding military drills in Taiwan Strait following US Speaker Pelosi’s trip
Uploaded: 2022-08-23T14:30:15.000Z
Duration: 7 min 7 s
Description: Why mainland China is holding military drills in Taiwan Strait following US Speaker Pelosi’s trip

Beijing and Washington agree on one thing: the political and military status of the Taiwan Strait is being changed piece by piece

Mainland analyst says Beijing’s sorties across the median line responded to Taiwan’s ‘diplomatic salami’ involving the meeting of US politicians

Reading Time:5 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Jack Lau

Published: 10:30pm, 23 Aug 2022Updated: 11:42pm, 23 Aug 2022

After Beijing’s unprecedented live-fire military exercises around Taiwan to protest against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to the island, Beijing and Washington were in unlikely agreement: the Taiwan Strait was being changed piecemeal through what is called the salami tactic.

But they blamed each other for it.

Washington said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) drills were a significant escalation to change the cross-strait status quo and that Pelosi was not the first US lawmaker to visit Taiwan.

Beijing said the trip was the latest of Washington’s efforts to bolster Taiwan independence forces and hollow out the one-China principle agreed upon when Beijing and Washington struck official ties in 1979.

07:07

Why mainland China is holding military drills in Taiwan Strait following US Speaker Pelosi’s trip

China views Taiwan as a breakaway province to be reunited by force if necessary. Contrary to Beijing’s claims, the US recognises Beijing as the sole legal government of China but only acknowledges – and does not affirm – the position that Taiwan is a part of China. However, like most countries, it does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state.