China on Thursday launched unprecedented live-fire military drills around Taiwan in a show of force following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, a self-governing island Beijing considers part of its territory, Reuters reports.
The exercises, scheduled to last until Sunday, included air, ground, and sea strikes. Chinese forces launched two missiles near Taiwan's Matsu islands off China's coast. Chinese naval ships and warplanes crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait, the unofficial maritime boundary.
Taiwan called the drills "irresponsible, illegitimate behavior," saying they violated its territorial space and United Nations rules, amounting to a blockade. Pelosi continued her Asia tour with a stop in South Korea.