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Enraged over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, China has launched a massive drill, surrounding the self-governed island from five directions. The military exercise, which began Tuesday evening, is reportedly PLA’s “rehearsal to reunify the island by force.”
China had protested Pelosi’s visit by summoning U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns. China’s Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng told Burns that the nature of Pelosi’s visit was “extremely vicious” and warned that the consequence is very grave. The Chinese side will not sit idly by, Xie added.
Immediately after Pelosi’s flight entered the island’s airspace, PLA began a long-range live fire drill in the Taiwan Straits and a live fire conventional missile drill to the east of the island. The PLA drills will encircle the island of Taiwan from all directions, reported the Chinese state-backed Global Times, quoting Xinhua News Agency.
The wargames are reportedly even larger than the ones carried out by China during the 1996 cross-strait crisis, which saw missiles falling near the island’s shores.
The Chinese saber-rattling was broadcasted in its state-controlled media as national broadcaster CCTV showed footage of J-20 stealth fighter jets taking off from an airfield on Tuesday evening. Videos of rocket launchers and missiles mobilizing under shades of the night were also aired.
Shi Yi, a spokesperson at the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement Tuesday that the joint maritime and air exercises will be held in the sea and air spaces to the north, southwest, and southeast of the island of Taiwan. While long-range live-fire shooting will be held in the Taiwan Straits, conventional missile test launches will be held to the east of the island of Taiwan.
According to Chinese analysts, the joint maritime and air exercises around Taiwan will likely hone the capabilities of warplanes and warships to seize air superiority and control of the sea. The live-fire drills will likely feature rockets that can strike targets in Taiwan directly.
“The conventional missile test launches to the east of the island means that if the missiles were launched from the mainland, they would fly over the island of Taiwan,” analysts said.
The PLA Navy vessels sailing to the east of the island will also launch missiles. “The operation is a stern deterrence against the U.S.’ recent provocations on the Taiwan question, as well as a serious warning for “Taiwan independence” secessionists’ attempt to seek “independence,” Shi said.
Besides, PLA Navy’s aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong have embarked on a voyage from its homeports, accompanied by a Type 075 amphibious assault ship.
According to Taiwan, Chinese military exercises near Taiwan have encroached on the island’s territory and amount to a blockade of its sea and air space. The island blamed China for “breaking UN rules” and said it would counter any incursions into its territory. It said the live-fire exercises in the sea and airspace around Taiwan were “endangering international shipping lanes, challenging the international order, undermining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and endangering the area.”
The map released by Chinese state media showing the six regions where the People’s Liberation Army will conduct live-fire drills from August 4 to 7, 2022.
Photo: Photo: Xinhua
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