Taiwan Begins Missile Test Launch Training... Continued Provocation by Chinese Military Aircraft

Missile, Interception, and Anti-Aircraft Fire Drills Conducted in Succession
Chinese Military Aircraft Again Intrude into Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] As Taiwan continues to conduct missile test launches, interceptions, and live-fire anti-aircraft drills in succession, tensions between the two sides remain on edge, with Chinese military aircraft once again provoking by intruding into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

According to local media such as Taiwan United Daily on the 29th, Taiwan's national defense research institute, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), announced that a missile test launch took place around 9:20 a.m. the previous day at the Suao Naval Base in northeastern Taiwan. Taiwan United Daily, citing military experts, reported that the missile was first test-launched from the Suao Naval Base, followed by interception training with a time lag at the Jufeng Base in southern Pingtung.

Earlier this month, Taiwan's Executive Yuan Council of Agriculture Fisheries Department had announced that NCSIST would conduct live-fire anti-aircraft drills on the 28th and 29th of this month, as well as on the 5th and 6th of next month. The firing altitude for these drills is unlimited, and the firing range includes the open sea from Jufeng Base to Suao. According to Taiwanese military experts, the range of this live-fire drill is known to be about 300 km, which appears to aim at verifying the interception capability against the Dongfeng-11 missile, which the Chinese military has deployed in combat with a range of 300 km.

China again deployed military aircraft to provoke by entering Taiwan's ADIZ. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense stated that Chinese military aircraft, including the Yun-9 electronic warfare aircraft and Yun-8 electronic warfare aircraft, entered the southwestern Taiwan ADIZ along the same flight path in the morning and afternoon respectively, prompting Taiwan's military to scramble in response. Taiwan United Daily reported that this marks the 19th time Chinese military aircraft have entered Taiwan's ADIZ this month. The reason different Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's ADIZ at different times in one day is presumed to be an effort by the Chinese military to gather information on the missiles Taiwan test-launched from multiple angles.