China fired its largest missile tests in Taiwan’s waters in decades, the day after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defied Beijing by visiting the self-ruled island it claims as its own.
The People’s Liberation Army fired 11 Dongfeng ballistic missiles into waters north, east and south of Taiwan between 1:56 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time Thursday, the island’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. Sun Li-fang, a ministry spokesman, earlier said missiles had been fired from land.
It was unclear which location the missiles were fired from and if any went over Taiwan. China has never sent missiles over the island before and such a move would be a provocative escalation. Taiwan’s defense ministry declined to comment on that point.
