The Chinese army fired projectiles towards the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, AFP journalists noted, shortly after the start of major military exercises all around the island claimed by Beijing. In Pingtan, a Chinese island located near the ongoing maneuvers, reporters saw several of these projectiles, fired at around 1:13 p.m. local time, soar through the sky towards the sea, followed by plumes of white smoke.
According to the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense, it would be “multiple” ballistic missiles. The Taiwanese military has not confirmed the exact location where they landed or whether they flew over the island. The People’s Liberation Army of the Republic of China also confirmed its missile launches. Beijing even used for the first time in combat the medium-range hypersonic DF 17 missile, 14 meters long and capable of striking the heart of Taiwan.
The most important military maneuvers in history around Taiwan
At sea and in the air, China has deployed a large armada of bombers and stealth fighters. All punctuated by a staging worthy of a Hollywood film.
Tourists who were by the sea, on this tourist island, witnessed the shooting. The Chinese military 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.
At the start of the operations, Beijing even simulated a complete blockade of the island at a busy maritime trade route.
Military maneuvers until Sunday
If her trip to this territory claimed by China lasted less than 24 hours, Nancy Pelosi, the highest elected American official, to go to Taipei in 25 years, unleashed 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 carrying out these vast military maneuvers since noon Thursday, local time, and until noon Sunday. The army of Taiwan indicated, for its part, that it was preparing for war, without seeking war. Europe expressed its concern and condemned the Chinese maneuvers, described as aggressive.
The ASEAN foreign ministers, currently meeting urgently, affirm that such a situation can lead to open conflicts.