By Kevin Varley
Shippers rerouted vessels as China (click here) began its most provocative military drills in decades around Taiwan, with at least one owner barring ships from transiting the strait.
Taiwan said China fired 11 missiles in waters around the island as of 4 p.m. local time Thursday. The maneuvers, in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island this week, are taking place in six areas surrounding Taiwan, and China advised ships and aircraft not to go near the regions.
A statement by the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army said it had completed live-fire training and lifted relevant air and sea controls. It didn’t clarify whether that meant all exercises had ended, but the state-run People’s Daily later said controls off the eastern coast of Taiwan have been lifted. The drills began at noon on Thursday and were set to last until Sunday.
Ships continued to travel through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. While the data showed approximately 15 vessels in the drill zones at noon, those may have moved out of the impact areas before exercises began. There were no ships in the zone closest to the China mainland in the Taiwan Strait or to the east of the island....
