China Launches Missiles Over Taiwan In Major Escalation In Military Threats

(Photo by Go Nakamura/Getty Images)

On Thursday, China reportedly fired missiles over mainland Taiwan in a major escalation of Beijing’s military threats to the country.

“Beijing deployed more than 100 planes, including fighter jets and bombers, and over 10 warships, its state media said, in its biggest drills in the Taiwan strait,” The Telegraph reported.

China’s attempts at showing military force comes after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visited Taiwan, which China claims as its own.

“At least 11 Chinese ballistic missiles struck waters north, south and east of Taiwan less than 24 hours later, Taipei said, the first time since 1996,” The Telegraph added. “Beijing suggested the exercises foreshadowed a bigger show of force intended to punish the island for Mrs Pelosi’s visit, which it has interpreted as a challenge to its territorial claims.”

U.S. military expert Harry Kazianis said the move marked a major escalation from China.

“Nothing shows the Chinese have ever fired a missile over Taiwan,” he said, per The Telegraph. He added that such a step was “unprecedented.”

Just minutes after Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, China began military exercises around Taiwan to “rehearse” how China could take the country “by force” in the future

According to CNN, “Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said 27 Chinese warplanes made incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, and 22 planes crossed the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday — an unprecedented number since Taiwan began publicly releasing information about China’s air incursions about two years ago.”

Chinese military official Song Zhongping told China’s state-run Global Times, “In the event of a future military conflict, it is likely that the operational plans currently being rehearsed will be directly translated into combat operations.”

“It means that our battle plan has been made clear to the U.S. and the Taiwan authorities, and we are confident enough to inform them of the consequences of further provocation in this way,” Song added.

The Global Times said that the exercises would “enter area within 12 nautical miles of the island and that the so-called median line will cease to exist.” The Chinese state-run media added that the warships would be “surrounding” and “completely blockading the island demonstrating the Chinese mainland’s absolute control over the Taiwan question.”

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