Taiwan slams Chinese military drills, cyber attacks while Beijing denies wrongdoing post-Pelosi trip

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At a press conference on Wednesday, Taiwan's defence ministry slammed China’s military drills being conducted, following a visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As the highest-level U.S. visit in 25 years to the island China claims as its own, Beijing has responded with a burst of military activity in surrounding waters, summoning the U.S. ambassador in Beijing and halting several agricultural imports from Taiwan.

Taiwan’s defence ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said the "reckless" drills were challenging international order, destroying regional security and amounted to a blockade of Taiwan's territorial air space and waters. Sun also warned that China was continuing to engage in spreading misinformation, and that citizens should not believe in internet rumours.

At a separate news conference, Taiwan’s digital minister Audrey Tang said that all public institutions in Taiwan have been hit by cyber attacks, as tensions with China rose following Pelosi’s visit. According to Tang, attacks on Taiwan government units surpassed 15,000 gigabits on Tuesday, 23 times higher than the previous daily record.

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that China has not seen its military drills around Taiwan causing freedom of navigation issues. Chunying added that China's military actions were legitimate and meant as a deterrent to Taiwan.