China Launches 11 Dongfeng Ballistic Missiles into Taiwan Waters
Taipei - The Chinese army launched a number of ballistic missiles into the waters around Taiwan on Thursday (08/04/2022) during the largest military drill to ever besiege the island. Quoted from the Telegraph, the Ministry of National Defense stated that the Chinese Communist Party fired several Dongfeng series ballistic missiles into the waters around northeastern and southwest Taiwan at around 1:56 p.m. this afternoon.
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It was later confirmed that 11 missiles had been fired, nearly double the number fired in July 1995 during the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis. In response, a senior military official at a briefing said Taiwan activated the relevant defense systems.
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense condemned what it called an irrational act, which undermined regional peace. China's military has begun unprecedented war games as Beijing ramps up its intimidation campaign against the self-governing island following a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Siege of Taiwan, China fires aircraft carrier-killing missiles China early Thursday added another zone for its military drills surrounding Taiwan bringing the total to seven and extended the duration of the war games to Monday at 10 a.m. local time, Taiwan's Maritime Port Bureau announced, according to media Taiwan.
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According to the Liberty Times, the new zone for military exercises is located in waters east of Taiwan, about 130 kilometers from Hualien Port. It intensified and extended the unprecedented duration of the war games surrounding the island that China launched in response to Pelosi's visit.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that it would uphold the principle of preparing for war without seeking war. According to Major General Meng Xiangqing, a professor of strategy at the National Defense University in Beijing, the zones were chosen because of their importance in a potential campaign to seal off Taiwan and thwart foreign intervention.
Air and sea live-fire drills, some of which crossed Taiwan's air and sea space, began hours after the US House of Representatives Speaker left Taiwan on Wednesday, following the first visit by a senior US politician to the island in 25 years.
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The drills will use some of China's most advanced weapons, including DF-17 hypersonic missiles and J-20 stealth fighter jets, according to a report by state newspaper Global Times. "The exercise is unprecedented as conventional PLA missiles are expected to fly over the island of Taiwan for the first time," the newspaper said. Taiwan's Defense Ministry says China's drills constitute a de facto blockade of the island.