Beijing: China has banned ships from entering an area near self-ruled Taiwan on Sunday because of falling rocket debris, a provincial maritime authority announced on Thursday as tension remained high because of just-concluded large-scale drills and continuing patrolling by the Chinese military in the region.
Chinese authorities did not release details of the operations that will disrupt international passage of ships on Sunday with the Taiwan authorities saying as many as 33 flights could also be impacted by the ban.
The area around 160 km from the Taiwanese capital, Taipei, will be closed from 9am to 3pm, the maritime safety administration of China’s eastern Fujian province said on Thursday, adding that vessels would be “forbidden to enter” for the duration of the shutdown.
The Chinese foreign ministry declined to share more information on Thursday including whether a “no-fly zone would be imposed” with spokesperson Wang Wenbin telling reporters at a regular briefing to refer to “the competent authorities”.
Reports from Taiwan said on Wednesday that China had scaled down plans for a no-fly zone near the island after Taipei complained about risks to flight safety.
“China initially intended to impose the zone for “aerospace activities” from 9am to 2 pm over three days next week, the Transportation Ministry in Taipei said in a statement on Wednesday — just days after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ended major military drills around the democracy,” Bloomberg reported.
It was only this Monday that Beijing announced the end of three days of military drills around Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory and has vowed to merge it with the mainland, by force if necessary.
The “Joint Sword” manoeuvres came in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit last week to the US, where she met House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a group of bipartisan lawmakers.
The drills around the island have ended but routine patrolling and testing of equipment by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has continued, Chinese state media reported.
Several Chinese warships attached to the PLAN’s Eastern Theater Command continued “realistic combat-oriented exercises in waters around the island of Taiwan” on Tuesday, testing command capabilities and performance of weapons and equipment, the state-run tabloid, Global Times reported.
