China began its maneuvers in 6 directions around Taiwan, some of which are only 20 km from the coast of the autonomous island, as a Chinese response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory, while Washington supports its independence.
3 Chinese goals
“Beijing is intensifying its maneuvers in an unprecedented war game that is considered a de facto blockade of Taiwan,” said military analyst Jalal Al-Taweel.
Regarding China’s goal in this, Al-Taweel told “Sky News Arabia” that Beijing found in Nancy Pelosi’s visit a “opportunity” to bypass the maritime line in the Taiwan Strait, separating the island from the coast of the Chinese mainland, and display its military strength, as it sends a message to the West that it will not It abandons the “one China” strategy.
For his part, a Taiwanese military expert, Chi Liyi, comments that the exercise aims to subdue eastern Taiwan and the southwestern Bashi Canal, to prevent ships and aircraft from the United States and Japan from entering Taiwan in an emergency situation, in addition to reviewing its technological progress.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, 68 Chinese fighter planes and 13 warships crossed the “middle line” along the Taiwan Strait during Friday’s exercises, and the ministry responded by sending combat planes to warn the planes that had entered its air defense zone.
The newspaper “South China Morning Post” quoted Zhou Zhenming, a researcher at the Military Science and Technology Research Center in Beijing, that China is telling Taiwan that it may besiege it for 3 days, and perhaps more, considering that “the maneuvers are unprecedented and complex, and Beijing uses them to reduce the risks of challenging the principle of “United China”.
devastating weapons
As a show of force, China launched ballistic missiles over Taiwan and sent drones over the airspace of the Kimui Islands.
It also sent fighter jets across the center line, and deployed two of its Type 055 stealth guided missile destroyers in the waters off eastern Taiwan for the first time.
The destroyer “Type 055” is the second most powerful destroyer in the world after the US DDG-1000 stealth ship.
According to reports, the Chinese Navy’s impressive 055 Renhai-class surface-to-air cruiser, known as the Nanchang-class, features a stealthy design and is armed with air defense missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes.
unique weapon
In addition to the above, the Chinese military has deployed a unique weapon, a glide hypersonic anti-ship vehicle that carries new DF-17 missiles, which is described as an “aircraft carrier killer”.
This ballistic missile is specifically designed to penetrate advanced air defense systems, is difficult to intercept due to its extreme speed, and can strike targets in South Korea, Japan and Russia, target warships, and threaten American forces in the Western Pacific.
Beijing conducted maneuvers with the DF-41 ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, nicknamed the “East Wind”, and it is considered the most dangerous intercontinental missile, as it has the farthest range among all ballistic missiles, ranging between 12 and 15 thousand km, and it can carry 12 nuclear warheads.
Great Dragon Plane
During the exercises, Beijing used six J-11 fighters, five J-16 fighters and 16 Su-30 aircraft, as well as the Chengdu J-20, which entered Taiwan’s air defense zone, nicknamed the “Great Dragon”.
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