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Beijing claims its soldiers fired ‘dozens of missiles’ over the South China Sea during a live fire drill, as it boasts of its military capabilities.
- China’s state broadcaster said nearly 100 soldiers joined the drill this week
- Dozens of air-to-air missiles were fired by fighter jets in two days, it reported.
- Images show soldiers loading weapons and firing them west of Hainan
- It comes after Chinese President Xi told soldiers to focus on preparing for war
- Tensions between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan have escalated
China’s state broadcaster reported that Beijing’s military launched dozens of missiles during a live fire drill this week over the South China Sea.
The air-to-air missiles were fired during the two-day military exercise attended by nearly 100 soldiers in an undisclosed area west of the Chinese island of Hainan, the official outlet said.
Beijing’s propaganda machine has been bragging about the country’s military capabilities while sending warnings to other countries amid bitter relations with the United States and Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi this month told his navy soldiers to focus on preparing for war while remaining very vigilant.
Images released by China’s state television show a missile launched from a fighter plane
Beijing’s propaganda machine claimed dozens of missiles were fired during a two-day drill
The drill took place on Tuesday and Wednesday and was organized by the naval force of the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army, reported the military channel of the China Central Television Station (CCTV).
Almost 100 fighter jet pilots attended the exercises and launched dozens of missiles, the state media announced on Thursday through its Weibo account, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
CCTV also released footage of soldiers loading multiple missiles onto an unidentified fighter jet and the weapons being ejected from a fighter jet.
The report said the exercise was aimed at testing the performance of troops’ weapons in a real war environment.
The report said that about 100 soldiers attended the exercise in an undisclosed area west of Hainan.
The drill was intended to test the performance of the troops’ weapons in a real war environment
The images come at a time of high tension between China and autonomous Taiwan, which Beijing considers its own. China has increased diplomatic and military pressure since the 2016 election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
Washington’s broader reach to Taiwan under President Donald Trump has become another flash point with Beijing as the United States and China clash over a variety of trade and security issues, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged his marine soldiers to focus on preparing for war during a visit to a military base in southern China on October 13.
He told his Navy troops to ‘concentrate everything [your] Minds and energy in preparing for war and maintaining a high level of alertness, ”reported the state broadcaster CCTV, citing the leader.
Just days earlier, China threatened to take over Taiwan by posting images of its soldiers “taking over an island.”
In the video released by the state broadcaster CCTV on October 10, troops of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are seen simulating an attack on an unidentified island during a large-scale military exercise.
Chinese President Xi urged his marine soldiers to focus on preparing for war this month
On Monday, CCTV released footage of a Chinese fighter jet pilot warning an ‘intruding fighter plane’ to leave its airspace before reportedly forcing it away.
The Chinese officer can be heard speaking on the radio in barely comprehensible English as he closely follows the suspected enemy fighter plane.
China’s Foreign Ministry yesterday threatened retaliation after the US State Department approved the possible sale of three weapons systems to Taiwan in a deal that could be worth a total of $ 1.8 billion (£ 1.38 billion). millions).
The sales’ seriously interfere with China’s internal affairs, seriously damage China’s sovereignty and security interests, send a seriously misleading signal to Taiwan’s pro-independence forces, and seriously damage Sino-US relations and peace and stability. in the Taiwan Strait, ‘said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian Said.