China’s Dongfeng-21 missile, reportedly capable of sinking US aircraft carriers.<\/p>\n
China has started a series of ballistic missile tests targeting waters close to ports in Taiwan, the island\u2019s defence ministry said, as Beijing seeks to punish the country for hosting a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.<\/p>\n
A booming sound from what appeared to be artillery fire could be heard in northern Taiwan in the early afternoon as China started the three-day drills, which are unprecedented in scale and are strategically located in six areas off the island\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n
\u201c[China] fired multiple missiles of the Dongfeng series towards waters north-east and south-west of Taiwan,\u201d the island\u2019s defence ministry said, condemning the drills as an \u201cirrational action destroying regional peace\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Dongfeng ballistic missiles are some of the People\u2019s Liberation Army\u2019s most potent weapons and include the anti-ship intermediate range DF21, viewed as a tool for deterring the US navy from operating in strategically important areas.<\/p>\n
The exercises have disrupted air traffic, with South Korea\u2019s flagship Korean Air cancelling all flights between Seoul and Taipei on Friday and Saturday and its rival Asiana Airlines has also reportedly done the same. Asiana could not be reached for comment.<\/p>\n
Pelosi became the first Speaker of the US House of Representatives to visit Taiwan in 25 years this week as part of a wider Asia trip during which she pledged \u201cironclad\u201d support for the country\u2019s democratically elected government.<\/p>\n
Beijing, which accused Pelosi of violating its claimed sovereignty over Taiwan, waited for her to depart from the island on Wednesday for South Korea before starting the drills.<\/p>\n
Analysts said the delay helped avoid immediate clashes with the US, but the exercises were expected to significantly exceed the scale, intensity and complexity of those held during the last crisis in the Taiwan Strait 26 years ago.<\/p>\n
They said the manoeuvres risked undermining a fragile, decades-long peace between China and Taiwan, which has enjoyed de facto independence since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, and could trigger conflict between Beijing and the US.<\/p>\n
\nChina's military exercises around Taiwan in August 2022 and March 1996 (Third Taiwan Strait crisis). This time, some exercise areas overlap with Taiwan's territorial waters, an apparent escalation. pic.twitter.com\/egw4hyu5U5<\/a><\/p>\n
— Duan Dang (@duandang) August 2, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n