Amid China-Taiwan tensions, top Taiwanese defence official found dead in hotel room: Report
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A top Taiwanese official who led the missile development team was found dead in a hotel room on Friday. The cause of his death is still undetermined.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Tension between Taiwan and China flared after Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. (AP photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- A top Taiwanese defence official was found dead in a hotel room
- The cause of his death is undetermined
- Tension between Taiwan and China are at an all time high after US official Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan
A top Taiwanese official who led a missile development team was found dead in a hotel room on Friday, said a report by Channel NewsAsia. The cause of his death is still undetermined. This comes amidst tension between China and Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
TENSION BETWEEN CHINA AND TAIWAN
Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was preceded by severe warnings from China that it will take “resolute and forceful measures to firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” With her arrival on August 2, the US House Speaker became the highest-ranking elected US official to visit Taiwan in over 25 years.
Even before Pelosi arrived in Taiwan, its military was put on high alert to ‘prepare for war’ with China.
On the day of her visit, Chinese warships started moving towards the Taiwan shoreline. China’s aircraft carrier Shandong (CV-17) left the naval base of Sanya and Liaoning-001 also raised anchor from the home base in Qingdao.
A day after her visit, Taiwan’s defence ministry reported that 27 Chinese fighter jets entered its air defence zone. The Chinese fleet included six J-11 fighter jets, five J-16 fighter jets and 16 SU-30 fighter jets.
China said it conducted “precision missile strikes” in the Taiwan Strait after China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) began its “largest-ever” military exercises, including live firing in the waters and in the airspace surrounding the island of Taiwan.
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