China’s Eastern Theater Military Command said in a statement that multiple missiles were fired into the sea off eastern Taiwan. He said all the missiles hit their target accurately.
“The entire live-fire training mission has been successfully completed and the relevant control of the air and sea area has now been lifted,” China’s statement said. Earlier, the Eastern Theater Command said it conducted long-range live fire training in the Taiwan Strait, state broadcaster CCTV reported, as part of planned military exercises around the island.
Taiwan said Chinese long-range missiles landed near its islands of Matsu, Wuqiu, Dongyin, which are in the Taiwan Strait but are closer to the mainland than the main island of Taiwan. A total of 11 Dongfeng (DF) missiles were later said to have been fired into waters north, south and east of the island between 1:56 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time (1:56 a.m. ET to 4 ET) on Thursday.
Chinese state media said exercises to simulate an air and sea “blockade” around Taiwan began on Wednesday, but offered little solid evidence to support the claim. Later on Thursday, pictures showed military helicopters flying past Pingtan Island, one of Taiwan’s closest points to mainland China.
The military posture was a deliberate show of force after Pelosi left the island Wednesday night, traveling to South Korea, one of the final stops on a tour of Asia that ends in Japan this weekend.
Hours after her departure from Taipei on Wednesday, the island’s Defense Ministry said China had sent more than 20 warplanes across the median line in the Taiwan Strait, the intermediate point between the mainland and Taiwan, which Beijing says it does not recognize but usually respects.
On Thursday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said its military remained in a “normal” but cautious posture and called the live-fire drills an “irrational act” that seeks to “change the status quo.”
“We are closely monitoring enemy activities around the Taiwan Sea and those on outlying islands and will act appropriately,” the ministry said in a statement.
Taiwan also accused China of “following North Korea’s example of indiscriminate test-fire of missiles in waters close to other countries” in a statement released by its foreign ministry on Thursday.
The exercises caused disruption to flight and ship schedules, with some international flights canceled and ships urged to use alternative routes to several ports around the island.
And they have heightened tensions across Taiwan’s waters. Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said on Thursday that five missiles were believed to have landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“This is a serious issue that affects the security of Japan and the safety of its citizens. We strongly condemn it,” Kishi told reporters at a news conference.
Kishi said it was the first time Chinese ballistic missiles had landed in Japan’s EEZ and that a protest had been lodged with Beijing.
Pressure exercises
Well before Pelosi’s nearly 24-hour visit to Taiwan, China warned that her presence was not welcome. The ruling Chinese Communist Party claims the self-governing island as its own territory, even though it has never controlled it.
China has released a map showing six areas around Taiwan that will be the site of exercises in the coming days. Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Bureau said earlier Thursday that China had added a seventh military training area, but later retracted that statement, saying the earlier notification was wrong.
Chinese state media on Thursday outlined a wide range of targets for the exercises, including strikes on land and sea targets.
“The exercises (are) focused on key training sessions, including joint blockade, sea target attack, land target strike and airspace control operation, and the joint combat capabilities of the troops were tested in the military operations,” said a statement from Xinhua News Agency attributed the attack to the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which is in charge of areas near Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the Global Times tabloid said the drills included some of China’s latest and most sophisticated weapons, including J-20 stealth fighter jets and DF-17 hypersonic missiles, and that some missiles could be fired over the island – a move that would be extremely provocative.
“The drills are unprecedented as PLA conventional missiles are expected to fly over Taiwan Island for the first time,” the Global Times said, citing experts.
“PLA forces will enter areas within 12 nautical miles of the island and the so-called median line will cease to exist.”
Reports from Taiwan of Chinese military movements included fighter jets crossing the median line and a report by the government-run Central Taiwan News Agency, citing government sources, that two of China’s most powerful warships – Type 55 destroyers – had been spotted in Tuesday off the central and southeast coasts of the island, with the closest being within 37 miles (60 kilometers) of land.
But there was little confirmation or hard evidence provided by China to support the claims published in the Global Times.
Chinese state television offered video of fighter jets taking off, ships at sea and missiles in motion, but the dates the video was taken could not be confirmed.
Some analysts were skeptical that Beijing could follow through on what it had threatened, such as a blockade of Taiwan.
“The official announcement (of the blockade) only covers a few days, which would make it difficult to call it a blockade in practice,” said Alessio Pattalano, professor of war and strategy at King’s College London.
“Blockades are difficult to implement and long to implement. This exercise is not that,” he said.
Patalano said the biggest impact of the exercises will be psychological.
“During the time period in question, ships and aircraft will probably change their route to avoid the area, but that is one of the main purposes of the chosen locations: to create confusion, discomfort and fear of worse to come,” he said .
Diversion of aircraft and ships
China’s retaliatory exercises have already caused disruptions to Taiwan’s flight and shipping schedules, although the island is trying to minimize their impact.
Taiwan’s transport minister said agreements had been reached with Japan and the Philippines to divert 18 international flight routes departing from the island – affecting a total of about 300 flights – to avoid PLA live-fire drills.
Korean Air told CNN on Thursday that it has canceled flights from Incheon to Taiwan scheduled for Friday and Saturday due to safety concerns while China conducts its military exercises. Flights will resume on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Bureau issued three notices requiring ships to use alternative routes to seven ports around the island.
China’s planned live-fire drills were also causing concern in Japan.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the exercises posed a threat to his country’s security.
One of the six exercise areas set up by China was near the Japanese island of Yonaguni, part of Okinawa Prefecture and just 68 miles (110 kilometers) off the coast of Taiwan.
The same Chinese exercise zone is also close to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, a rocky uninhabited chain known as the Diaoyu in China and over which Beijing claims sovereignty.
“In particular, a training area has been established in the waters near Japan, and if China conducts live ammunition exercises in such an area, it may affect the security of Japan and its people,” Matsuno said.
Meanwhile, the United States military remained silent on the Chinese exercises and did not provide any answers to CNN’s questions on Thursday.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he hoped “Beijing will not fabricate a crisis or seek pretense to increase its aggressive military actions.” Speaking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-US ministerial meeting in Cambodia, Blinken said the US remains committed to its “One China” policy.
In addition to closely monitoring the movements of the Chinese military around the island, Taiwan has also said it will strengthen security against cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.
Taiwan’s cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng told a press conference on Wednesday that the government has strengthened security at key infrastructure points and raised the level of cyber security vigilance in government offices.
Taiwan expects increased “cognitive warfare,” referring to disinformation campaigns used to sway public opinion, Lo said.
This story has been updated with new information.
CNN’s Rob Picchetta, Wayne Chang, Emi Jozuka and Eric Chung contributed to this report.
Add Comment