China has created mockups of a Taiwanese port and military vessel as targets to test its ballistic missiles, a former Taiwanese Navy officer revealed.
Retired lieutenant commander Lu Li-Shih said that the newly-built port appears to be a simulation of the Su’ao naval base in northeastern Taiwan based on satellite images he obtained.
He further stated that the nation created a mockup of a Kidd-class destroyer in the desert of China’s Xinjiang province.
Lu compared the mockup port to American naval bases in Japan and the Philippines, but says it more closely resembles the Taiwanese port in Su’ao.
“The mock-ups and drills suggest that Chinese People’s Liberation Army warships are simulating precision strikes on both the Guam naval base and the Su’ao military port, using China’s YJ-21 anti-ship missiles,” he said.
Other Chinese Mockups
Last year, several Maxar satellite images showed China building missile targets resembling a US aircraft carrier and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.
The warships were allegedly built at a target range complex in the Taklamakan Desert, a strategic location for ballistic missile tests.
Reports say that the mockups were disassembled immediately after test missiles struck them in February.
The act reportedly demonstrated China’s increasing efforts to improve its anti-carrier capabilities amid rising tensions with the US over Taiwanese sovereignty.
Escalating Tensions
China insists that Taiwan is part of its territory and will not rule out military force to reclaim the island nation.
On Sunday, a Chinese military Harbin Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter was reportedly tracked in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, marking the 11th day of Chinese intrusions this month.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the island nation scrambled its military aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to approach the intruder.
Earlier this month, China demonstrated the mature combat readiness of its aircraft carrier Liaoning, sending a message to adversaries over the issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty.