China has launched unprecedented military maneuvers a day after US leader Nancy Pelosi’s visit. The People’s Republic fired rockets, among other things. Shells fell into the waters north, south and east of Taiwan. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that China should not overreact. There is no reason to threaten Taiwan during the visit or use aggressive rhetoric, Stoltenberg said.
“The US and other NATO allies have made regular high-level visits to Taiwan over the years, so there is no reason for China to overreact,” the Norwegian said on Thursday. China, which is pushing for independence, considers the island part of its national territory and reserves the right to use force to take control of Taiwan.
Significant threat to US and Taiwan
Speaker Pelosi was the highest-ranking US representative to visit Taiwan in 25 years. With her visit she wanted to indicate that the island has a powerful ally in the United States. Therefore, the People’s Republic reacted angrily to the visit and announced massive military maneuvers on the water and in the air. They should last until Sunday.
First, China fired 11 medium-range Dongfeng missiles in multiple waves near Taiwan’s north, south and east coasts on Thursday, the local defense ministry said. The last time there was something similar was in 1996. The decades-long conflict hasn’t been this hot in more than a quarter of a century — and military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, also heavily used by civilian ships, have never been this fierce. been. so large-scale, according to the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
“Prepare for war without wanting it”
The maneuvers are aimed at an air and naval blockade. “Relevant ships and aircraft” should avoid affected waters and associated airspace, China’s state television channel CCTV reported Thursday. The Taiwan Ministry of Defense said it is closely monitoring the situation. The island’s armed forces would act on the principle of “preparing for war without wanting war”. There is also no search for “escalation of the conflict”.
According to state media, “live shots” are used. Long-range missiles were fired into the Taiwan Strait separating Taiwan from the mainland and the east of the island, the PLA’s Eastern Military Command said. A spokesman said all missiles “hit their targets accurately”. The state-run Chinese newspaper Global Times, citing military analysts, wrote that the maneuvers were “unprecedented”. Rockets would fly over Taiwan for the first time.
“Preparing for Real Combat”
Chinese military sources told the AFP news agency that the maneuvers were carried out as “preparations for actual combat”. Should Taiwanese troops “deliberately come into contact with the Chinese military” and “accidentally fire a weapon”, Beijing’s armed forces would “take strict countermeasures”, in which case the Taiwanese side would “bear all the consequences”.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
