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China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) began three days of military exercises in the airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan on Thursday. disturbing and canceling flights across Asia and threatening to cause further flight cancellations in the coming days, the Korea JoongAng Daily it said, noting that Beijing ordered the PLA exercises in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei this week.
“[D]disruptions to Korean airline operations began with Asiana Airlines announcing on Thursday that its direct flight schedules to Taiwan would be adjusted from the same day,” the newspaper reported on August 4.
Asiana Airlines announced that its direct flights from Incheon, South Korea to Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan will depart three hours earlier than originally scheduled on August 4.
“Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and low-cost airlines (LCCs) have also decided to reschedule some Southeast Asian flights. Flight times could be extended by at least 15 minutes to a maximum of one hour and 30 minutes. Korea JoongAng Daily rebroadcast.
“Passengers will have no choice but to face inconvenience due to these flight schedule changes and delays,” an unidentified South Korean LCC official told the newspaper. “There are also additional costs for airlines. We hope the situation will return to normal soon.”
“Authorities have canceled at least 40 flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in Taoyuan since August 4,” the Crisis24 intelligence service of Canadian private security company GardaWorld. mentionted.
Crisis24 noted that China’s PLA “banned civilian aircraft and ships from entering the areas during the drills.”
“The exercises and associated exclusion zones may cause delays to regional maritime transport. The drills could restrict shipping traffic in waterways to Taiwan’s ports. Flight disruptions to Taiwan’s airports and possibly offshore helicopter services cannot be ruled out,” the intelligence agency warned.
China’s PLA began live-fire military exercises in the waters and airspace surrounding Taiwan, a sovereign island nation off China’s southeast coast, on Aug. 4. The exercises are scheduled to last until August 7.
“China’s military has confirmed multiple launches of conventional missiles into waters off Taiwan as part of planned six-zone drills that will last until midday Sunday [August 7]. It activated more than 100 planes, including fighters and bombers, and over 10 warships. rebroadcast on Thursday citing state-run China Central Television (CCTV).
“Taiwan said 11 Chinese Dongfeng ballistic missiles were fired into nearby waters — the first time since 1996,” Reuters noted.
China had already begun harassing Taiwan on August 3, a day before its live-fire drills began. shrill Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Sensitive Zone (ADIZ). Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said it scrambled fighter jets to warn off 22 Chinese military aircraft that crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait – a barrier separating Taiwan from China – into Taiwan’s ADIZ that day. The defense ministry said it further ordered Taiwanese troops to fire flares late Wednesday night local time after spotting four Chinese military drones flying in the airspace directly over Taiwan’s Kinmen Islands.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the highest-ranking US government official to visit Taiwan in 25 years on August 2 when she landed in Taipei. He met with Taiwanese government officials, including President Tsai Ing-wen, until August 3. Pelosi’s symbolic visit to Taiwan seriously upset Beijing, which considers Taiwan a part of China that should “reunite» with the country.
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