• Taiwan has activated its military and conducted civil defence drills.
• The drills were prompted by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.
• Taiwan wants de facto independence from China.

Taiwan: Taiwan’s prime minister has labelled China the “evil neighbor next door” after its military began live firing drills around the island.

Su Tseng-chang told reporters in Taipei that he believed China was arbitrarily destroying the Taiwan Strait, the world’s busiest waterway, with its military exercises, and that its actions were condemned by other neighbouring countries and the international community.

Beijing acknowledges live firing, but claims it was “precision missile strikes” as part of exercises conducted by its navy, air force, and other departments in six zones surrounding the island.

Japan claims it was forced to lodge a complaint with China after five of the missiles landed within its Exclusive Economic Zone.

The drills were prompted by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island this week, and are meant to demonstrate China’s response to moves by the self-governing island to solidify its de facto independence from Chinese rule.

Taiwan has activated its military and conducted civil defence drills, while the United States has numerous naval assets in the area.

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