A military vehicle carrying a DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missile takes part in a military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on October 1, 2019, to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Greg Baker AFP Getty Images
Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Saturday it was monitoring a “wave” of missile tests carried out in China’s northern region of Inner Mongolia and that its air defense forces were on alert.
Democratically controlled Taiwan, which China considers its own territory, monitors all Chinese military activities because of Beijing’s regular activities around the island, but rarely releases details of what China sees.
The ministry said that since 4 a.m. (2000 GMT on Friday) it had detected “several waves of tests” by the Chinese Rocket Force in Inner Mongolia, which is located about 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Taiwan.
Taiwanese forces are constantly monitoring developments and air defense forces are on high alert, the ministry said, without elaborating.
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 a missile into the waters around Taiwan in a war game to express its anger during a visit to Taipei by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Taiwan operates a powerful radar station on several central mountain peaks that can be seen as far as China, according to security sources.
China hates Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, calling him a “separatist”, and has increased military pressure including war games since his inauguration.
Lai has repeatedly offered to negotiate with China but has been rejected. He rejects Beijing’s claims of sovereignty, saying only Taiwanese can decide their future.
