China says it carried out “precision missile strikes” in the Taiwan Strait on Thursday as part of military exercises that have raised tensions in the region to their highest level in decades.
China previously announced that military exercises by its navy, air force and other departments were underway in six areas surrounding Taiwan, which Beijing claims is its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary.
The drills were prompted by a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week and are aimed at announcing China’s threat to attack the self-governing island. Along with its moves to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, China has long threatened military retaliation over moves by the island to consolidate its de facto independence with the support of key allies, including the US.
“Long-range strikes with live-fire precision missiles were conducted against selected targets in the eastern area of the Taiwan Strait,” said the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command. Poble, the military wing of the Communist Party government, in a statement on its social network. media platform
“The expected result has been achieved,” he added. No other details were given.
The drills are due to take place from Thursday to Sunday and include missile strikes against targets in the island’s northern and southern seas in an echo of recent major Chinese military exercises aimed at intimidating Taiwan’s celebrated leaders and voters in 1995 and 1996.
Taiwan forces on alert
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said it tracked the launch of Chinese Dongfeng-series missiles starting at 1:56 p.m. local time on Thursday. It said in a statement that it used several early warning surveillance systems to track the missile launches, which were aimed at waters northeast and southwest of Taiwan.
The defense ministry also said they tracked long-range rockets and ammunition shots on the outlying islands of Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin.
A pro-China supporter steps on a defaced photo of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a protest against her visit to Taiwan in front of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong on Wednesday. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
During the day, Taiwan’s defense ministry said its forces were on alert and monitoring the situation, as they tried to prevent tensions from escalating. Civil defense drills have also been held and notices have been posted at designated air raid shelters.
China’s “irrational behavior” aims to disrupt the status quo and disrupt regional peace and stability, the ministry said.
“All three branches of the service will combine efforts with all people to jointly safeguard national security and territorial integrity” while adapting to the situation as it develops, according to the statement.
China’s official Xinhua news agency reported that the drills were joint operations focused on “blocking, assaulting maritime targets, attacking land targets and controlling airspace.”
Although China has not given any word on the number of troops and military assets involved, the exercises appear to be the largest ever conducted near Taiwan in geographical terms.
The exercises involved troops from the navy, air force, rocket force, strategic support force and logistics support force, Xinhua reported.
Taiwanese citizens remain calm
At least 40 flights there from Taiwan were canceled on Thursday, according to the China Times newspaper. He cited Taoyuan Airport in the capital, Taipei.
There was no immediate indication of the possible effect on shipping, which has the potential to shake the global economy. Taiwan produces more than half of the processor chips used in smartphones, vehicles, tablets and other electronics.
Front burner10:18 p.mTension in Taiwan as China reacts to US visit
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan may have been short, but it was not short of controversy. He is the most senior US official to visit Taiwan in decades, but many worry his visit will fan the flames of an already strained relationship between the self-ruled island and China, which claims Taiwan as its territory and opposes any engagement of Taiwanese officials with foreigners. governments Before Pelosi’s visit, China stepped up military exercises near Taiwan, and Beijing has vowed to conduct even more military exercises in the coming days. Some experts are calling it the most dangerous escalation between the two regions since the 1990s. Today, Taipei-based Washington Post correspondent Christian Shepherd explains how tensions between China and Taiwan got to this point, and why Pelosi’s visit was so controversial.
In Keelung, a city on Taiwan’s northern coast and near two of the announced drilling sites, swimmers did the morning lap in a natural pool built into the ocean.
Lu Chuan-hsiong, 63, was enjoying his morning bath, saying he was not worried. “As Taiwanese and Chinese, we are all one family. There are also many mainlanders,” he said.
“Everybody should want money, not bullets,” he quipped, saying the economy wasn’t doing so well.
Those who have to work in the ocean were more worried. Fishermen are likely to be most affected by the drills, which cover six different areas surrounding Taiwan, some of which reach into the island’s territorial waters.
Most anglers will continue to try and catch as it is squid season.
“It’s very close. This will definitely affect us, but if they want to do this, what can we do? We can only avoid this area,” said Chou Ting-tai, a fishing boat owner.
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While the United States has not said it would intervene, it has bases and assets deployed in the area, including aircraft carrier battle groups. US law requires the government to treat threats to Taiwan, including blockades, as matters of “grave concern”.
On Thursday, the US Navy said its aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan was operating in the Philippine Sea east of Taiwan as part of “normal scheduled operations”.