China Launches Largest Military Drills Around Taiwan After Pelosi Visit
China initiates unprecedented military exercises around Taiwan, firing ballistic missiles and deploying warships in retaliation for Nancy Pelosi's visit. The live-fire drills block major shipping lanes and push regional tensions to their highest levels in decades.
China fires ballistic missiles and deploys fighter jets and warships as it begins its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan. This aggressive show of force comes as a direct response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent visit to the self-ruled island, which defies stark threats from Beijing. The Chinese military states that these drills involve a conventional missile firepower assault designed to test precision and deny enemy access to critical areas.
The live-fire exercises take place in multiple zones that encircle Taiwan, intentionally straddling some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. At their closest points, the designated military zones sit just 12 miles off the Taiwanese shore. Chinese navy ships and military aircraft repeatedly cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait, prompting Taiwan to scramble its own jets and deploy missile systems to monitor the incursions.
Taiwan condemns these actions as irrational moves that severely undermine regional peace, noting that several Dongfeng-class ballistic missiles are fired during the operations. Onlookers near the mainland coast report seeing projectiles launching into the sky accompanied by loud booms and plumes of white smoke. Beijing announces that these massive drills will continue until midday on Sunday, keeping the region on high alert.