Amid China-Taiwan tensions, top Taiwanese defence official found dead in hotel room: Report
Ou Yang Li-hsing, deputy head of Taiwan defence ministry’s research and development unit, was found dead on Saturday morning in a hotel room in southern Taiwan, according to the official Central News Agency (CNA). According to CNA, authorities are looking into the cause of his death.
Ou Yang had assumed his post as the deputy head of the military-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology early this year to supervise various missile production projects and was on a business trip, said CNA.
His death comes amidst tension between China and Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
TENSION BETWEEN CHINA AND TAIWAN
Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was preceded by severe warnings from China that it will take “resolute and forceful measures to firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” With her arrival on August 2, the US House Speaker became the highest-ranking elected US official to visit Taiwan in over 25 years.
Even before Pelosi arrived in Taiwan, its military was put on high alert to ‘prepare for war’ with China.
On the day of her visit, Chinese warships started moving towards the Taiwan shoreline. China’s aircraft carrier Shandong (CV-17) left the naval base of Sanya and Liaoning-001 also raised anchor from the home base in Qingdao.
A day after her visit, Taiwan’s defence ministry reported that 27 Chinese fighter jets entered its air defence zone. The Chinese fleet included six J-11 fighter jets, five J-16 fighter jets and 16 SU-30 fighter jets.
