The biggest military exercise in China that surrounds Taiwan began Thursday, in a force that straddled the vital international shipping route after a visit to the island by US speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday after a trip that opposed a series of striking threats from Beijing, who viewed the island that was governed by his territory.
Pelosi is the highest selected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, and said his journey made him clearly” that the United States will not leave a democratic allies.
It triggered a furious reaction from Beijing, who swore “punishment” and announced military training in the sea around Taiwan – some of the busiest water channels in the world.
The exercise, which began around 12 noon (0400 GMT), involved “direct shooting”, according to government media.
The six main areas around the island have been chosen for actual combat training and during this period, relevant ships and aircraft should not enter relevant waters and airspace,” reported CCTV CCTV CCTV.
Chinese troops fired ballistic missiles “many” to the waters around Taiwan during military training on Thursday, said the Taipei Ministry of Defense, condemning what was described as “irrational actions that damaged regional peace”.
The National Defense Ministry states that the Chinese Communist Party fired several Ballistic Missiles of the Dongfeng series into its surrounding waters in Northeast and Southwest Taiwan from around 13:56 this afternoon,” the Ministry of Defense said in a brief statement.The Chinese people’s liberation army also confirmed that the missile had been fired.
AFP reporters on the Pingtan border island saw several small projectiles flying to the sky followed by white smoke lumps and loud booming sounds.
AFP is not in a position to identify the projectile, which is fired from the closeness of the nearby military installation, or the right direction.
The Taiwan military also did not confirm the right location where the missile landed or whether they flew on the island.
The exercise took place in several zones around Taiwan – at a few points in only 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the beach – and will end at midday on Sunday.The National Defense Ministry stressed that they would uphold the principle of preparing war without seeking war, and with an attitude of not increasing conflict and causing disputes,” he said in a statement.
The Global Times tabloid managed by Beijing Nationalist State said, quoting military analysts, that the exercise was “never before” and that the missile would fly over Taiwan for the first time.
This is the first time PLA will launch a direct long -distance artillery throughout the Taiwan Strait, the newspaper said that it used the formal name of the Chinese military, the People’s Liberation Army.
The group of seven industrialized countries had condemned training, said in a statement that “there is no justification for using visits as an excuse for aggressive military activities in the Taiwan Strait”.
