“We’re an island; we can only shoot east or west, so they chose west.” That was Taiwan’s representative to the United States, Alexander Yui, explaining to CNN why the army fired rockets toward China on Wednesday.
The rockets came from HIMARS launchers, the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. The army has tested the system before. This was the first time its rockets went out over the Taiwan Strait, the narrow body of water between the island and China.
Shoot and scoot
Rockets flew on day two of drills along the island’s western shore, the side that looks across at China. The scenario simulated a response to a Chinese invasion, and the aim was to test rapid deployment and precision strikes. Other weapons took part too, including 155 mm howitzers.
HIMARS was the centerpiece. Given a firing order, the vehicles moved into position and launched their rockets, with bright flashes, within three minutes. Then they moved again. The truck-mounted launchers can leave a hidden position, fire and relocate to a new one, a method known as shoot-and-scoot, so that they are harder to hit afterward.
The military stressed the rockets were reduced-range practice rounds, built to drop into the sea not far from the coast.
Army Sgt. Wang Ming-hui said: “Due to the current enemy threat, we will continue HIMARS training with unwavering determination to protect Taiwan as the nation’s strongest force.”
The wider picture
Washington has encouraged Taiwan toward an asymmetric approach, with mobile systems meant to keep China at bay instead of costly purchases of big weapons to meet it head on. The United States does not recognize Taiwan as a country, but it opposes any change in the island’s status by force and is its main arms supplier.
China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it must come under Beijing’s control at some point. It sends warships and planes near the island almost every day and has held major exercises there in recent years.
The arms pipeline is a separate matter. The US announced plans in December to sell Taiwan 82 more HIMARS systems, but that package appears to have been put on hold after President Donald Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last month.
Sources
- Us-Backed Taiwan Fires Rockets Toward China in Strait Drill as Tensions Surge Over Island Defence Escalation
- Taiwan test-fires rockets in China’s direction from US-supplied mobile launching system | CNN
Sources
- Us-Backed Taiwan Fires Rockets Toward China in Strait Drill as…
- Taiwan test-fires rockets in China's direction from US … – CNN
