conflicts
China’s military simulates precision strikes against Taiwan
A Chinese fighter jet during an air refueling maneuver at an unspecified location. photo
© CCTV/AP/dpa
Beijing simulates precision strikes against the island and its sea areas. Taiwan registers dozens of Chinese warplanes and ships in its air defense zone.
The People’s Liberation Army of China has simulated multiple precision strikes against “key targets on the island of Taiwan and in the surrounding sea areas.” This was reported by the state broadcaster CCTV. The precision strikes are part of the military exercises that began on Saturday and are scheduled to continue until Monday.
By noon (local time), Taiwan’s Defense Ministry had already registered 58 warplanes and nine ships belonging to the Chinese military. Of these, 31 aircraft penetrated Taiwan’s southwestern air defense zone (“Air Defense Identification Zone”). It is a buffer zone between the island nation and the People’s Republic of China.
Only on Wednesday (local time) did Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen meet the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, for talks during a transit stay in the USA.
The communist leadership in Beijing regards the democratically governed island of Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and is threatening to conquer it. A visit to Taiwan by McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, in August had led to a serious crisis.