China started its Thursday most important military maneuvers of recent decades around Taiwan, in a show of force in response to the visit to the island by the President of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

“Six large areas around the island were chosen for this combat drill and during this period, ships and aircraft will not be allowed to enter air and sea spaces“involved, Chinese TV channel CCTV reported.

According to journalists from the AFP agency, the Chinese army fired bullets Thursday in the Taiwan Strait.

In Pingtan, a Chinese island located near the ongoing maneuvers, opposite Taiwan, AFP reporters saw it soar into the sky around 13:13 (14:13 Argentine time) various small bulletsfired near military installations, followed by a trail of white smoke.

The AFP was unable to identify the bullets fired or determine their precise direction. Numerous tourists were on the promenade of the tourist island witnesses to the shooting.

Pelosi’s journey into the territory claimed by China lasted less than 24 hours, but sparked the wrath of Beijing. Pelosi was the highest elected US official to visit Taipei in 25 years.

The president of the US House of Representatives has insisted that her country not abandon the island, under which she lives constant threat of an invasion by the Chinese army.

In response, China launched this Thursday, at 04:00 GMT (01:00 Argentina), military maneuvers in six areas around Taiwan that would last until Sunday noon.

The official Chinese news agency Xinhua indicated that the exercises were joint operations focusing on “blocks, assault on maritime targets, attack on ground targets and control of airspace ”. Taiwan has alerted its military and conducted civil protection exercises, while the United States has numerous naval assets in the area.

Tutorials should include missile attacks against targets in the waters to the north and south of the island, reminiscent of the last major maneuvers with which Beijing tried to intimidate leaders and voters in Taiwan in 1995 and 1996.

In Thursday’s operation, troops from the armythe Air Force, the Missile Force, the Strategic Support Force and the Logistics Support Force dependent on the Eastern Command.

Source: AFP and AP.