STORY: One day after US top politician Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, China, as threatened, began military maneuvers off the island. These are the largest exercises to date in the Taiwan Strait, which is also heavily used by civilian ships, China’s state television CCTV reported on Thursday. The Chinese military said it had fired several conventional missiles at waters off Taiwan’s east coast as part of planned drills. The last time something like this happened was in 1996. Taiwan’s ruling party condemned the maneuvers as “irresponsible and illegal behavior.” Taiwan’s defense ministry said the military will continue to raise its alert to safeguard national security and sovereignty and respond appropriately to the “enemy situation.” Similarly, a spokeswoman for Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Our government is even more determined to protect our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Given the current scenario, our government will not only actively strengthen its self-defense capabilities, but also strengthen close ties with like-minded countries like the Maintain United States.” The maneuvers are expected to last until Sunday noon local time, according to Chinese state media. China regards the independent island as part of its territory and reserves the right to use force to take control of Taiwan. According to the government in Taipei, the maneuvers violate United Nations rules and the principle of free navigation at sea and in the air.