China began unprecedented live-fire drills near Taiwan on Thursday, firing multiple missiles toward waters near northeastern and southwestern of the island.
In a press release on Thursday, Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, the spokesperson for the Chinese Defence Ministry declared that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has taken a “series of military countermeasures” in response to the United States (US) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit “to China’s Taiwan region.”
22 PLA aircraft (J-11*8, SU-30*12 and J-16*2) entered the surrounding area of R.O.C. on August 4, 2022. Please check our official website for more information: https://t.co/vfsmEFpU5b pic.twitter.com/DA6aN8kaps
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) August 4, 2022
Tan asserted that the Chinese military “always matches its words with deeds.” To this end, the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command conducted “multi-subject targeted drills including sea target assaults, strikes on ground targets, airspace control operations, and precision-guided munitions live-fire practice” in the waters and airspace around Taiwan. He underscored that the drills were an act of “solemn deterrence against the collusion between the US and Taiwan.”
In further warning, the spokesperson said that the US and Taiwan’s acts of “collusion and provocations” will “only push Taiwan into the abyss of disaster” and “bring great suffering” to the self-governed island.
Countries reaffirm their support for China on the Taiwan question and their strong commitment to #OneChinaPolicy. pic.twitter.com/Wx0GbLaWFX
— Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) August 4, 2022
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command, revealed in his own statement on Thursday that the PLA unit had conducted “a multi-zone fire assault drill” in “predetermined” areas off eastern Taiwan on Thursday afternoon. He added that the military had launched “multiple types” of “conventional missiles” and that all of them “accurately hit the targets.”
The PLA said its “long-range live-fire gunnery training exercise” in the Taiwan Strait included “precision strikes” on “specific areas” in the eastern Taiwan Strait, and that “expected results” had been achieved. Shi also announced that the live-fire launching training had “wrapped up” and that “the management and control” on target waters and air space have been “removed.”
The Taiwan question is the core issue of China-US relations. The US has made solemn commitments to China on the #Taiwan question in three China-US joint communiques. An honest country deserves respect. It's the #US' responsibility to keep its word. pic.twitter.com/klWw7Pw6WY
— Huang Ping 黄屏 (@CGHuangPingNY) August 4, 2022
Responding to the incursion, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said in a statement late on Thursday that the launches posed no risk to the island’s safety, as the missiles’ trajectory was above the atmosphere. “Using the surveillance and reconnaissance systems, our military can accurately calculate the trajectory of the Dong Feng-series missiles fired by the Chinese Communist Party,” it said. It added that its military is in a “normal” posture and called China’s drills an “irrational act” that attempt to “change the status quo.” “We are closely monitoring enemy activities around the sea of Taiwan and that of outlying islands, and we will act appropriately,” it assured.
Prior to its exercise of Thursday, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said that only hours after Pelosi’s departure from Taipei on Wednesday, China sent more than 20 fighter jets across the median line in the Taiwan Strait. The median line marks the midway point between the mainland and the island, which China claims it does not recognise but has usually respected. In addition, 22 Chinese warplanes also breached the island’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), all of which crossed the strait median line.
Multiple PLA aircraft and vessels were detected participating in drills around Taiwan Strait and have crossed the median line. #ROCArmedForces have utilized alert broadcast, aircraft in CAP, patrolling naval vessels, and land-based missile systems in response to this situation. pic.twitter.com/lVpRWCZxhm
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) August 5, 2022
Taiwan’s defence ministry also reported yesterday that its website sustained cyber attacks and was temporarily taken offline. It appears that it has suffered similar attacks today.
China’s increased aggression against the island has given rise to fears that Beijing may attempt to reunify the island with the mainland sooner than the 2027 target that experts have predicted.