35 vessels were forced to take alternate domestic and international routes yesterday, when the People’s Liberation Army began its military exercises in six sea areas around Taiwan, the independent island that China claims is its own.
The exercises were ordered by Beijing in retaliation against U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. When they began, 17 ships were arriving at Taiwan’s seven international commercial ports, and 18 others departing.
The cargo ships at the ports of Keelung,Taipei and Kaohsiung were asked to use alternative routes to avoid the exercise.
The escalation of geopolitical tension between China and the U.S. is sure to have repercussions in one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. According to Lloyds’ Intelligence, last week an average of 240 merchant ships transited through the area every day.
Translation by Giles Foster