PLA mouthpiece hails rocket force after it fired missiles over Taiwan

Name: Why mainland China is holding military drills in Taiwan Strait following US Speaker Pelosi’s trip
Uploaded: 2022-08-08T11:43:40.000Z
Duration: 7 min 7 s
Description: Why mainland China is holding military drills in Taiwan Strait following US Speaker Pelosi’s trip

Chinese military’s official newspaper highlights key role of rocket force in safeguarding national security and declares it is combat ready

It follows days of sabre-rattling including ballistic missile tests in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island

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An earlier PLA missile launch. The rocket force fired ballistic missiles into waters to the north, south and east of Taiwan last week. Photo: Handout

Amber Wang

Published: 7:43pm, 8 Aug 2022

China’s military mouthpiece has highlighted what it calls the key role of the PLA’s Rocket Force in safeguarding national security, days after it fired missiles over Taiwan in unprecedented drills.

In an opinion piece splashed across its front page on Monday, PLA Daily described it as the “core force” in strategic deterrence as well as the “strategic support” for China’s status as a major power.

It said the rocket force had a combat system with diverse strike and strong anti-interference capabilities and that it could inflict major damage.

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Why mainland China is holding military drills in Taiwan Strait following US Speaker Pelosi’s trip

The rocket force had “an irreplaceable role in the overall situation of national political, diplomatic and military struggles, and in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests”, according to the official People’s Liberation Army newspaper.

It said given the huge security risks and challenges facing China, the rocket force could be required to play a decisive role at a critical moment. PLA Daily also said it had larger, more powerful and faster missiles than before, and declared that the rocket force was combat ready.