With Taiwan drills, Xi tries to salvage Pelosi crisis

A tourist posing with a monument representing mainland China (left) and Taiwan (right) on Pingtan island, in Fujian province. - AFP

BEIJING, Aug 7 (Reuters): Chinese President Xi Jinping may not have been able to stop Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, but he ordered his country's military to rehearse a much more aggressive step: a blockade crucial to taking the island by force, security experts say.

China's military planners have long discussed a blockade of Taiwan, but until now most likely saw practicing such a move as too provocative, security experts say.