China Tests More Missiles Near Taiwan
China has fired guided missiles into seas north of Taiwan for the second time in a month, the Defense Ministry said Friday.
The tests sent jitters through Taiwan, which sees them as an attempt to intimidate its government into calling off a campaign for international recognition. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan.
Tensions flared after Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui visited the United States in June. Although it was a private trip, Taiwanese viewed it as a diplomatic victory over Beijing, which considers the island a rebel province with no right to pursue foreign relations.
Taiwan’s ruling Nationalists fled the Communist takeover of mainland China in 1949.
The Defense Ministry said Chinese navy warplanes and ships fired the short-range missiles Thursday, the third day of an 11-day exercise at a test area 82 miles north of Taiwan.
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