China’s largest-ever military exercises surrounding Taiwan were drawing to a close on Sunday following a controversial visit last week to the self-ruled island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Beijing has raged at the trip by Pelosi – the second in the line of succession to the US presidency – ripping up a series of talks and cooperation agreements with Washington, most notably on climate change and defence. It has also deployed fighter jets, warships and ballistic missiles around Taiwan in what analysts have described as practice for a blockade and ultimate invasion of the island. Those exercises were set…