China's People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Eastern Theater Command has announced that it will be conducting test launches of missiles with non-nuclear warheads with a designated target being placed to the east of Taiwan – the self-ruled island that China considers a breakaway province.
"China's People's Liberation Army is on alert and will carry out a series of targeted military activities as countermeasures, resolutely defend state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely prevent external interference and futile attempts to organize 'Taiwan independence,'" China's Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The test launch will come as a part of larger military drills that will include joint exercises at sea and in the air by the PLA, as well as the shooting of long-range artillery in the Taiwan Strait.
The military drills are set to take place at night on August 2.
The war games were announced hot on the heels of the arrival of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan despite protests from China. Beijing condemned the act as meddling in its internal affairs, an attempt to appease separatists and a major political "provocation". China's Foreign Ministry vowed that the country will deliver a harsh military response to the visit of the lawmaker, but refused to elaborate on details.
Ahead of Pelosi's arrival on the island, the Chinese military moved additional forces to the shores of the Taiwan Strait and deployed two aircraft carriers to the region. The US military similarly boosted its presence near the island, moving their aircraft carrier strike group closer. Taiwanese forces met the House speaker's arriving jet by putting its armed forces on level 2 alert.