The Chinese army began Thursday the largest military maneuvers in its history around Taiwan, a muscular response to the visit of the speaker of the American House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on the island.
Chinese armed forces on Thursday fired “multiple” ballistic missiles into the waters surrounding Taiwan during their grand maneuvers, the Taipei Defense Ministry said, condemning “irrational actions that undermine regional peace”.
“The Ministry of National Defense said that the Chinese Communist Party fired multiple Dongfeng ballistic missiles into the surrounding waters of northeast and southwest Taiwan starting around 1:56 p.m. (05:56 a.m.),” the ministry said. Defense in a brief statement.
In Pingtan, a Chinese island located near the ongoing maneuvers, reporters saw several projectiles fired at around 1:13 p.m. (0513 GMT) soaring into the sky towards the sea, followed by plumes of white smoke.
AFP was unable to identify the projectiles, fired from military installations, or determine their precise direction.
Tourists who were by the sea, on this tourist island, witnessed the shooting.
Beijing Fury
These military exercises are done in response to the visit of the leader of the American representatives, Nancy Pelosi, on this territory claimed by China. If her trip lasted less than 24 hours, Ms. Pelosi, the highest elected American official to visit Taipei in 25 years, sparked the fury of Beijing.
She hammered that the United States would not abandon the island, ruled by a democratic regime and which lives under the constant threat of an invasion by the Chinese army.
In response, Beijing has been conducting extensive military maneuvers since noon Thursday (0400 GMT) and until noon Sunday (0400 GMT) in six areas around Taiwan.