China has set out to show the world the extent of its anger over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent visit to Taiwan, which it sees as a "provocation." The People's Liberation Army (PLA, Chinese Army) began its largest military maneuvers around the island at noon this Thursday, which included the launch of "multiple types of conventional missiles" off the east coast of Taiwan. The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense confirmed that Beijing launched a total of 11 Dongfeng ballistic missiles into waters off the north, south and east of the island in several shots that were fired from near Taiwan's Matsu Islands and could be seen and heard from the island. from Pingtan, one of the closest points in mainland China to Taiwan.
During the target practice of these exercises, which Taipei considers a "blockade" and a "violation of its rights", the projectiles "hit the target accurately", according to the PLA Eastern Theater Command. After deeming the mission "successful" to test the performance of the missiles, the spokesman for the Command, Shi Yi, announced the end of the blockade of air and sea space for this Thursday afternoon off the western coast of Taiwan after "artillery practices hit their targets".
At least 40 commercial flights have had to be canceled today and, according to BBC Asia correspondent Stephen McDonell, up to 900 flights will be affected in total by the blockades caused by the Chinese maneuvers, which will last until Sunday.
The Dongfeng, a series of ground-to-ground ballistic missiles, constitute the main weapon of the PLA Missile Force. The Global Times, a newspaper close to the Chinese government, has published a recording of the different shots in a video reminiscent of the usual launches made by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.
Since Wednesday afternoon, several Chinese planes (at least 22 the day before yesterday) have crossed the dividing line over the Taiwan Strait, entering what Taipei considers its defense zone and forcing Taiwanese fighters to take off to scare off intruders. "They continue to harass us and increase our air defense pressure," a close source in Taiwan, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters. The advances have also been made by sea, where they have also ventured to cross the red line of the strait before being "expelled" by Taiwanese navy ships, according to the same source.
Meanwhile, the US aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan continued to conduct routine operations in the Philippine Sea, which includes waters southeast of Taiwan, as scheduled in its plan to support a "free and open Indo-Pacific," a report said. US Navy spokesman
This week's military exercises are the largest drills China has carried out in waters off Taiwan since 1995, when Beijing fired missiles to show displeasure over a visit by then-Taiwanese President Lee Teng Hui to Washington and the United States. The United States sent two carrier groups to the area, sailing one through the Taiwan Strait.
The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry warned that China "is trying to change the status quo" of the island with exercises that "threaten its security", for this reason, it urged countries to support and defend freedom and democracy. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for his part, said he hoped China "would not manufacture a crisis" or "seek a pretext to increase its aggressive military activity." From Phnom Penh, where the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is celebrated, the head of US diplomacy stressed that Washington maintains its interest in "maintaining peace and stability" and warned that an escalation "does not benefit anyone ".
Russia, an ally of China, assured that Beijing has the "sovereign right" to carry out the exercises around Taiwan, said the Kremlin spokesman, Dimitri Peskov, while accusing the United States of adding gasoline to the tensions artificially. in the region with the visit of the third US authority to the island on Tuesday and Wednesday. Repeating China's arguments, Peskov said that "The tension in the region was caused... by the visit of Nancy Pelosi, (...) an absolutely unnecessary visit and an unnecessary provocation."
