Regime Mobilizes 100 Fighter Planes in Response to Nancy Pelosi’s Historic Visit to Taipei
Chinese missiles fly over Taiwan for the first time. These launches are part of some maneuvers by which the regime wants to respond to the historic journey of US Representative Nancy Pelosi that concluded on Wednesday, the most important in a quarter of a century. Chinese forces have been deployed around the island and have imposed a de facto blockade, an imminent escalation as hostility between the two major world powers takes a military turn.
On the first day of these exercises, which will last until Sunday, China fired 11 Dongfeng ballistic missiles, which stormed north, east and south of Taiwan. The projectiles were ejected by a margin of only two hours, between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time. “All hit their targets with precision, controlling their ability to hit and area denial (a defense mechanism). The live-fire training session has been completed satisfactorily,” the East Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (EPL) announced in an official statement. .
However, five of these missiles have fallen into the waters of Japan’s exclusive economic zone; an unusual occurrence and, according to the text of the Chinese authorities, intentional. “This is a serious issue that concerns the national security of our country and our people,” said Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, who described the action as “extremely coercive”. Japan, one of the United States’ greatest allies and China’s traditional rival, will host the final stop on Nancy Pelosi’s Asian tour on Friday.
Disagreements have also moved into diplomatic territory. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has canceled a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi scheduled for this week after the G-7 criticized the Asian giant’s harassment. “Nothing justifies using a visit as a pretext for aggressive military action in the Taiwan Strait,” said the body, which includes Japan.
The EPL has mobilized more than 100 fighters, bombers and other combat aircraft, 22 of which have crossed the median line of air identification in a recurring pattern. Also, at least a few drones have broken into the Kinmen Islands, the area under Taiwanese control closest to the mainland.
In the military exercises, air and naval forces have been deployed to occupy six areas around the island, invading territorial waters, in some cases just 16 kilometers from the coast. This activity implements a hypothetical invasion, requiring one of the largest amphibious assaults in history. Given this scenario, one of the priorities of the Chinese armed forces would be to cut off Taiwan’s communications with the rest of the world, as has been the case since Thursday.
For its part, the island’s Ministry of Defense has reiterated that its troops will remain in combat position and will respond according to “the movements of the enemy”, in coordination with the United States and other allied countries. The institution has also called for an increase in cybersecurity protocols, given repeated digital attacks on its official website, an attack that the State Department and the presidential office have also suffered.
So China wants to project a strong image, after its deterrent efforts failed to intimidate the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Pelosi reiterated the US commitment to assist Taiwan during her face-to-face meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen. “Our delegation has come to make it absolutely clear that we will not abandon Taiwan,” he said. The regime considers the self-ruled island a rogue state and has never resorted to violence to subdue it.
The consultancy ‘Eurasia’ stressed through a report this Thursday that “the PLA exercises represent an escalation, as there was no Chinese military exercise or missile firing in Taiwan’s territorial waters in 1995 and 1996.” Tensions in the area hadn’t reached comparable levels since those years, prompted by the Third Street Crisis. “However, these operations are more performative signals than preparations for war.” An unprecedentedly violent staging where there are at least three other passes.
Source: La Verdad
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