After a short-term no-fly zone, China also announced the closure of a sea area north of Taiwan for Sunday due to the danger of falling missile debris. In a brief statement today, the China Maritime Safety Administration released the coordinates for the zone and said that passage for shipping would be prohibited from 9:00 a.m. (local time) to 3:00 p.m. Sunday.
China has not yet commented on the no-fly zone. But South Korea, which was also briefed on the plans, said it involves a falling object linked to a launch vehicle. Taiwan said China had shortened the originally planned duration of the April 16-18 no-fly zone to around half an hour on Sunday after a government protest in Taipei.
tensions in the region
The Chinese area lockdowns come at a time of heightened tensions in the region. China recently held major military exercises around Taiwan, which the Beijing leadership regards as a breakaway province and part of the People’s Republic.
The maneuvers came in response to a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the United States last week. The democratically governed Taiwan insists on independence.
China has sharply criticized meetings between Taiwan and US officials as a provocation and sees them as a demonstration of independence claims. Last year, China responded to a visit to Taiwan by the then President of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, with major maneuvers around the island.
