Video: China begins live-fire military drills around Taiwan, a day after Pelosi visit

China’s military fires PCL 191 ballistic missiles (MLRS) across Taiwan Strait.

This morning, China conducted unprecedented live-fire military exercises just 20 kilometers (12 miles) off Taiwan’s coast, as the island’s defenses returned fire on suspected Beijing drones.

Thursday marked the beginning of the Asian superpower’s largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan, spanning crucial international maritime waterways.

According to Taiwan’s defense ministry, on Wednesday night, it fired warning shots at an unidentified aircraft that was flying over its Kinmen islands.

China has conducted a series of war simulations in retaliation to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Polosi’s visit to Taiwan this week, putting Taiwan on high alert.

According to Major General Chang Zone-sung, who spoke with Reuters, a group of Chinese drones flew into the Kinmen region twice on yesterday evening at between 9 and 10 o’clock local time (2pm UK time).

According to what he said, his soldiers “quickly fired flares to provide warnings and to drive them away.”

“After that, they went in the opposite direction. They entered the limited area that we had established, which is why we dispersed them “he stated.

According to an allegation made by a correspondent for Reuters, this comes after China allegedly moved the globe one step closer to the use of nuclear weapons on Thursday morning when its naval ships and military planes crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait.

The correspondent stated that ten Chinese naval warships along with multiple planes had passed over the country’s maritime boundary.

During the most recent round of military exercises that were taking place in the Taiwan Strait, China launched long-range rockets in the direction of Taiwan.

As a response, Taiwan activated its missile defense systems to watch Chinese fighter jets flying close to the middle line, while its navy ships remained nearby to keep an eye on China’s naval activity.

Meanwhile, the Chinese blog Sina Weibo alleges that China conducted live military exercises by firing long-range rockets into the eastern zone of the Taiwan Strait.

Smoke trails from rocket launcher firing were spotted in the sky Thursday evening, according to a blog.