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| Chinese army conducts large-scale military drills in Taiwan strait |
International Military - Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan seems to have a long tail. The visit seems to have exacerbated tensions between Taipei and Beijing. The arrival of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives signifies that the United States recognizes Taiwan as a country.
The problem is, until now China considers Taiwan is still part of the country. Taiwan is a province filled with separatist movements. Previously, China had warned of an invasion of Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the deployment of combat materials to the Western Theater Command in Fujian province. Fujian Province faces directly to Taiwan which is only 340 km from the island. China deploys all its weapons there as part of impromptu military exercises around Taiwan.
A line of ZSL-92A APC tanks can be seen passing through the Xiamen area towards Fujian. There is also a Type 63A amphibious tank that is currently on the coast of Fujian awaiting embarkation from an amphibious landing craft in preparation for war games.
As an element of air protection, China also deployed HQ-9 Red Banners of up to tens of MLRS. Of particular interest was the deployment of the Dongfeng 5B intercontinental ballistic missile to Fujian. This proves China's anger over Pelosi's arrival to Taiwan.
With the alibi of military exercises, China intends to encircle Taiwan with its war fleet. Pelosi when she set foot in Taiwan then stated that the United States was loyal to support Taipei as a sovereign country. And Taiwan will be their main partner in that.
When Pelosi came to Taiwan, China immediately flew 21 fighter jets into Taipei's airspace. There were J-11s, J-16s and KJ-500s flying there. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused the US and Taiwan of colluding. With that, China will invade Taiwan as a form of upholding the country's sovereignty.
Military drills besiege Taiwan
Although attention was drawn to Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the real agenda came after. China announces large-scale military exercises after Pelosi's departure from Taiwan.
Quoted from the New York Times, Beijing announced 6 zones that it uses as military training grounds. These six points surrounded Taiwan from all sides. The Chinese military said it would conduct a series of firing drills starting on Thursday, August 4.
Quoted from Defense View, the following weapons are present in China's military exercises:
1. Dongfeng . Ballistic Missile
According to reports, the Chinese Army's Eastern Theater Command conducted ballistic missile drills targeting the Taiwan Strait and the East Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Chinese army launched 11 Dongfeng missiles on August 4 from 13:56 to 16:00. He believed that the missile launched was the short-range Dongfeng 15B series.
2. PHL 191 . Remote Rocket Launcher
In addition to firing ballistic missiles, China also uses long-range PHL 191 rockets. This rocket artillery system is one of China's most advanced long-range attack systems.
The PHL 91 itself adopts a modular design, so it can be assembled and disassembled on the platform. So, this Rocket Launcher can use various types of missiles with different ranges and warheads. It is said that the rocket has a range of more than 150 kilometers if it uses a 300 mm rocket. If replaced with a larger caliber rocket, the range could easily reach 300-400 kilometers.
3. Chengdu J-20 Stealth Fighter and H-6K Bomber
In addition to shooting exercises, the Chinese army in fact also deployed their military aircraft. The Eastern Theater Command Air Force sent hundreds of fighters, as well as bombers.
The manned aerial platform was flown into the airspace in the north, southwest and southeast of Taiwan Island to carry out joint day and night operations.
The exercises they carry out include reconnaissance, air strikes, support, and protection and other tasks. And the J-20 stealth aircraft and H-6K bomber were some of those caught on camera flying around Taiwan.
4. Nuclear Aircraft Carriers and Submarines
The Chinese military also deployed their maritime fleet during the exercise. The aircraft carriers Lioning and Shandong were seen moving closer to Taiwan. Two 10,000-ton Type 055 destroyers appeared off the coast of Hualien, Taiwan.
Taiwan also revealed that the drills used nuclear submarines. This exercise is the first time China has organized joint air and sea exercises across the island of Taiwan. Practice missions such as joint air defense, sea attack, ground attack and air superiority operations.