He fired several conventional missiles into the waters off the east coast

Chinese army begins massive military exercises around Taiwan

An image from a video showing a missile being fired from an unspecified location in China as part of its exercises around Taiwan.

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Yesterday, the Chinese army began the most important military exercises in its history on Taiwan, in response to the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island, which Beijing considers an integral part of its territory.

And the Chinese state-run TV channel CCTV announced the start of the largest ever military exercise organized by Beijing in the vicinity of the island.

"The exercises have begun," the channel said in a message posted on the Weibo social network.

The Chinese army launched a series of military exercises in six maritime zones around Taiwan along busy trade routes, in some parts no more than 20 kilometers from Taiwan's shores.

The Eastern Operations Area Command of the Chinese army said that it completed several launches of conventional missiles in the waters off the east coast of Taiwan, yesterday, as part of a scheduled exercise.

A spokesman for the command said in a statement that the relevant controls on the sea and air areas were lifted after the launches were completed.

Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of Operations, said that Chinese forces launched "a multi-model conventional missile force attack on predetermined sea areas off the eastern part of Taiwan."

"All the missiles hit the target accurately, and the accuracy of the strike and the barriers to entering the area were tested," Colonel Shi added.

Beijing stresses that these exercises, as well as other limited exercises that began in recent days, are a "necessary and legitimate measure" after Pelosi's visit.

"China is in a legitimate self-defense mode," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters.

The official Xinhua News Agency stated that the exercises aimed to simulate a "siege" of the island, and include "attacking targets at sea, striking targets on land, and controlling the airspace."

The Global Times newspaper, citing military analysts, said that the exercises would take place on an "unprecedented" range, because the missiles would fly over Taiwan for the first time.

"This is the first time that the Chinese army has fired live ammunition and long-range artillery fire over the Taiwan Strait," said the newspaper, known for its nationalist dialect.

In a precautionary measure to ensure safety, the Chinese Maritime Security Administration has banned ships from entering the relevant areas.

The exercises will take place in a series of areas encircling Taiwan, some just 20 kilometers from the Taiwanese coast, and will continue until Sunday noon.

A Chinese military source, who asked not to be identified, said, "If the Taiwanese forces deliberately collided (the Chinese army) and fired a bullet accidentally, (the Chinese army) would respond forcefully, and the Taiwan side would have to bear all the consequences."

Immediately after the start of the maneuvers, the Taiwanese army confirmed that it was "preparing for war without seeking war."

"The Ministry of National Defense affirms that it will adhere to the principle of preparing for war without seeking war," the Taiwan Defense Ministry said in a statement.

An informed source told "Reuters", yesterday, that the Chinese army has rapidly penetrated several times into the dividing line that divides the Taiwan Strait.

The source, who declined to be identified, said about 10 ships from the Chinese navy briefly crossed the dividing line.

The source added that many aircraft of the Chinese Air Force crossed the dividing line several times yesterday morning, prompting Taiwan to deploy combat aircraft and air defense systems to track the movement of Chinese aircraft.

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