On October 1, 2019, military vehicles carrying DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missiles participated in the military parade held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China.
Greg Baker | AFP | Getty Images
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday it was monitoring “wave after wave” of missile tests in China’s northernmost region of Inner Mongolia and that its air defense forces were on alert.
Democratic-ruled Taiwan is considered its own territory by China and, given Beijing’s regular activities around the island, closely monitors all Chinese military activities but rarely releases details of what happens inside China.
The Defense Ministry said it detected “multiple waves of test launches” by the Chinese Rocket Force starting at 4 a.m. (2000 GMT on Friday) in Inner Mongolia, an area about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from Taiwan.
The Ministry of National Defense stated that the Taiwan military is continuously monitoring the development of the situation and the air defense forces are also on alert, but did not disclose details.
China’s Defense Ministry did not return calls seeking comment outside office hours. The Rocket Force is responsible for China’s conventional and nuclear missile arsenal.
In August 2022, China fired missiles into the waters surrounding Taiwan during military exercises to express its anger at then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
Taiwan maintains powerful radar stations on some of the peaks of its central mountain range, which overlook mainland China, according to security sources.
China has expressed distaste for Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, calling him a “separatist” and has stepped up military pressure, including military exercises, since he took office.
Jimmy Lai has repeatedly proposed talks with China, but has been rejected. He rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims and said only the people of Taiwan could determine their future.
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