China warns its carrier-killer missiles will ‘strike down US forces before they even see Taiwan’ as WW3 tensions rise
CHINA has warned its ‘carrier killer’ missiles will strike down US forces before they can come to the aid of Taiwan.
Beijing’s forces are conducting huge military drills around the self-governing island it regards as its territory, once again raising fears of , which has said it will defend Taiwan.
Despite China declaring the exercises over after three days, its warships and planes continue to lurk around Taiwan, with the aircraft carrier Shandong conducting operations east of the island.
China's latest military actions follow President Tsai Ing-wen’s diplomatic mission to the US in which she met House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
As its forces menace Taiwan, state media has been ramping up aggressive rhetoric, even simulating the destruction of the island by the People’s Liberation Army.
At the forefront has been the fiercely nationalistic Global Times newspaper.
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An editorial said “PLA is 100 per cent prepared for any foreign interference in the Taiwan question, whether it is military intervention, economic sanctions or attempt at political isolation by the US”.
It insisted “the Chinese mainland will have a response plan and will not back down”.
The paper also said China’s hypersonic missiles will “strike down any US forces before they see the island of Taiwan”.
China has built up a huge arsenal of hypersonic missiles aimed at neutralising the power of the US Navy - dubbed 'carrier killers' - and attacking American facilities in the Pacific.
They include the DF-17 and the DF-21 types, which release warheads that can be manoeuvred at speeds of up to 7,700mph onto moving targets at sea.
China has been accused of firing green lasers from satellites to gather intelligence for a surprise hypersonic missile attack on Hawaii.
Taiwan's defence ministry said on Monday that 91 Chinese military aircraft flew in missions around the island, which it said was a record.
The ministry said it spotted nine Chinese ships and 26 aircraft, including J-16 and Su-30 fighters, carrying out combat readiness patrols around the island late on Tuesday morning.
Taiwan's air force, navy and shore-based missile crews are closely monitoring and responding, it added.
The island’s government has repeatedly denounced the drills, but said it will not escalate or provoke China.
Military experts say the exercises serve both as intimidation and as an opportunity for Chinese troops to practice sealing off Taiwan by blocking sea and air traffic.
That’s an important strategic option the Chinese military might pursue in the event it uses military force to take Taiwan.
CHINA’S HYPERSONIC MISSILES
China has invested a large amount of money in hypersonic missiles with one goal in mind – keeping the US at bay in the event of war
Whether it’s aircraft carriers or the US air base on Guam, the Chinese military believes the missiles can give them an edge and have been described as “game changers” by Western experts.
They differ from ballistic missiles in that they comprise a rocket that flies to around 25 miles above the earth which then unleashes a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle.
The detached HGV uses the Earth’s gravity to descend at speeds of up to 7700 mph.
In contrast to ballistic missiles the HGV can be steered in flight making them a terrifying adversary and particularly dangerous to large warships such as aircraft carriers.
The Chinese launched two hypersonic nuclear missiles which circled the Earth and "defied the laws of physics" back in 2021.
Its newest missile in actual service, the DF-17, became fully into operation at the beginning of January after first seen at a parade in Beijing in 2019.
According to the US military, it is accurate to within a few yards and is capable of “extreme maneuvers” and “evasive actions”.
Its relatively low cost means the Chinese military can fire scores of them if a first attempt fails.
The war games saw Beijing simulate targeted strikes on Taiwan and encirclement of the island, including "sealing" it off, while dozens of planes had practised an "aerial blockade".
Video released by Chinese state TV on its news programme shows warships and planes circling Taiwan.
It then goes on to show an animated sequence showing missiles raining down on Taiwan.
The simulated attack on the island also has missiles being fired from planes and shows them causing large explosions as they smash to earth.
Other video shows missiles on the mainland being readied for launching in a chilling warning to the island.
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Chinese nationalists fled to Taiwan after the Communists won the civil war on the mainland in 1949 - and the island has remained self-governing ever since.
Beijing has always aggressively insisted that Taiwan belongs to them by right - and have pledged to reclaim the island by 2050.