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China practising missile strikes on targets in Taiwan and Guam: Report

NEW DELHIUpdated: May 13, 2022, 02:10 PM IST
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(Representative Image) Photograph:(AFP)

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The People's Liberation Army of China considers the United States to be a second line of defence east of Japan, with Guam being the most important base in the Marianas Islands chain. The US B-1, B-2, and B-52 strategic bombers are stationed at Guam's Andersen Air Force Base, with the latter two being capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

According to recent satellite photographs, the Chinese military has improved its anti-ship missile training from targeting huge, carrier-sized targets to smaller ships and naval stations.According to a Taipei-based navy analyst, they show a training camp in Xinjiang's remote Taklamakan desert with the layout of a mock-up ship anchored in a naval base that mimics one in northeast Taiwan and other targets in Guam.

New satellite photographs, according to the US Naval Institute (USNI) news site, show China developing more large-scale target ranges along the rim of the desert, including model destroyers and docks.

The People's Liberation Army of China considers the United States to be a second line of defence east of Japan, with Guam being the most important base in the Marianas Islands chain. The US B-1, B-2, and B-52 strategic bombers are stationed at Guam's Andersen Air Force Base, with the latter two being capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

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China is well aware that the US base on Guam is the greatest obstacle to its goal of reunifying Taiwan. Because China has only a few hundred nuclear bombs compared to the United States' thousands, the Chinese military favours a deterrent stance versus an aggressive nuclear war plan. To limit US mobility, the DF-26 is the most important missile in its arsenal.

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