Chinese Military Conducts Live-Fire Exercises in Taiwan Territory After Pelosi Visit, Defense Ministry Says

China has begun conducting military exercises inside Taiwanese territory, the Taiwan defense ministry says, in what it described as a blockade of its sea and airspace. The provocative move is seen as a direct response to a 24-hour visit to the contested island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who became the most senior American lawmaker to visit Taiwan in a quarter of a century on Tuesday. Taiwan defense officials on Wednesday said the Chinese live-fire exercises around the island were "endangering international shipping lanes, challenging the international order, undermining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and endangering the…