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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Archie Bland

Thursday briefing: Chinese live-fire drills underway after Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan

A Chinese military helicopter flies past Pingtan island, one of mainland China's closest point from Taiwan, on August 4, 2022, ahead of massive military drills.
A Chinese military helicopter flies past Pingtan island, one of mainland China's closest point from Taiwan, on August 4, 2022, ahead of massive military drills. Photograph: Héctor Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Good morning. Yesterday, the US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, flew out of Taiwan on a US air force passenger jet; today, Taiwan’s defence ministry is under cyber-attack and the Chinese military is surrounding the island and conducting live-fire drills.

That’s the bluntest description of Pelosi’s visit – described by China’s foreign minister Wang Yi today as “manic, irresponsible, extremely irrational” – and the escalation in tensions it has brought. (You can follow the very latest on the live blog.)

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