海角大神

China conducted 鈥減recision missile strikes鈥� Thursday in the Taiwan Strait and in the waters off the eastern coast of Taiwan as part of military exercises that have raised tensions in the region to their highest level in decades.

China earlier announced that military exercises by its navy, air force, and other departments were underway in six zones surrounding Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary.

Five of the missiles fired by China landed inside Japan鈥檚 Exclusive Economic Zone off its coast, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said. He said Japan protested the missile landings to China as 鈥渟erious threats to Japan鈥檚 national security and the safety of the Japanese people.鈥�

The drills were prompted by a visit to the island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week and are intended to advertise China鈥檚 threat to attack the self-governing island republic. Along with its moves to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, China has long threatened military retaliation over moves by the island to solidify its de facto independence with the support of key allies including the U.S.

China fired long-range explosive projectiles, the Eastern Theater Command of the People鈥檚 Liberation Army, the ruling Communist Party鈥檚 military wing, said in a statement. It also said it carried out multiple conventional missile launches in three different areas in the eastern waters off Taiwan. An accompanying graphic on state broadcaster CCTV showed those occurred in the north, east, and south.聽

鈥淎ll missiles hit the target accurately,鈥� the Eastern Theater said in its announcement. No further details were given.

Taiwan鈥檚 Defense Ministry said it tracked the firing of Chinese Dongfeng series missiles beginning around 1:56 p.m. Thursday. It said in a statement it used various early warning surveillance systems to track the missile launches. It later said it counted 11 Dongfeng missiles in the waters in the north, east, and south.

The ministry also said it tracked long-distance rockets and ammunition firing in outlying islands in Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin.

Earlier during the day, Taiwan鈥檚 Defense ministry said its forces were on alert and monitoring the situation, while seeking to avoid escalating tensions. Civil defense drills were held last week and notices were placed on designated air raid shelters months ago.

China鈥檚 鈥渋rrational behavior鈥� intends to alter the status quo and disrupt regional peace and stability, the ministry said.

鈥淭he three service branches will combine efforts with all the people to jointly safeguard national security and territorial integrity鈥� while adapting to the situation as it develops, the statement said.

China鈥檚 official Xinhua News Agency reported the exercises were joint operations focused on 鈥渂lockade, sea target assault, strike on ground targets, and airspace control.鈥�

Ma Chen-kun, a professor at Taiwan鈥檚 National Defense University, said the drills were aimed at showing off the Chinese military鈥檚 ability to deploy precision weapons to cut off Taiwan鈥檚 links with the outside and facilitate the landing of troops.

The announced drills are 鈥渕ore complete鈥� than previous exercises, he said.

鈥淚f the People鈥檚 Liberation Army actually invades Taiwan in an all-out invasion, the concrete actions it will take, it鈥檚 all in this particular exercise,鈥� Mr. Ma said.

鈥淭he main thing is they will cut off Taiwan鈥檚 links to the outside world, from their sea, they would suppress the coastal defense firepower,鈥� he said.

Meanwhile, the mood in Taiwan was calm.

In Keelung, a city on the northern coast of Taiwan and close to two of the announced drill areas, swimmers took their morning laps in a natural pool built in the ocean.

Lu Chuan-hsiong was enjoying his morning swim, saying he wasn鈥檛 worried. 鈥淏ecause Taiwanese and Chinese, we鈥檙e all one family. There鈥檚 a lot of mainlanders here, too,鈥� he said.

鈥淓veryone should want money, not bullets,鈥� he quipped, saying the economy wasn鈥檛 doing so well.

Those who have to work on the ocean were more concerned. Fishermen are likely to be the most affected by the drills, which cover six different areas surrounding Taiwan, part of which come into the island鈥檚 territorial waters.

Most fishermen will continue to try to fish, as it is the season for squid.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very close. This will definitely impact us, but if they want to do this, what can we do? We can just avoid that area,鈥� said Chou Ting-tai, who owns a fishing vessel.

While the U.S. has not said it would intervene, it has bases and forward-deployed assets in the area, including aircraft carrier battle groups.

On Thursday, the U.S. Navy said its USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier was operating in the Philippine Sea, east of Taiwan, as part of 鈥渘ormal scheduled operations.鈥�

Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the drills Thursday saying, 鈥淚 hope very much that Beijing will not manufacture a crisis or seek a pretext to increase its aggressive military activity. We countries around the world believe that escalation serves no one and could have unintended consequences that serve no one鈥檚 interests.鈥�

U.S. law requires the government to treat threats to Taiwan, including blockades, as matters of 鈥済rave concern.鈥�

The drills are due to run from Thursday to Sunday and include missile strikes on targets in the seas north and south of the island in an echo of the last major Chinese military drills aimed at intimidating Taiwan鈥檚 leaders and voters held in 1995 and 1996.

On the diplomatic front, China canceled a foreign ministers鈥� meeting with Japan to protest a statement from the Group of Seven nations that there is no justification for the exercises. Both ministers are attending a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia.

鈥淛apan, together with other members of the G-7 and the EU, made an irresponsible statement accusing China and confounding right and wrong,鈥� Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in Beijing.

While China has given no word on numbers of troops and military assets involved, the exercises could be the largest held near Taiwan in geographical terms, experts have said.

The exercises involved troops from the navy, air force, rocket force, strategic support force, and logistic support force, Xinhua reported.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.聽AP writer David Rising in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, contributed to this report.