China launched rockets into the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the second day of its military exercises aimed at simulating a blockade of ports and attacks on maritime targets of the self-governing island.

The two-day war games, dubbed "Mission Justice 2025," began Tuesday with strong criticism from Taipei, which called them "military intimidation."

China considers Taiwan part of its territory and does not rule out using force to take the island.

In Pingtan, a Chinese island near Taiwan, journalists observed a barrage of rockets exploding in the air around 9:00 AM (1:00 AM GMT), leaving trails of white smoke.

At least 10 rockets were launched, causing a boom that reverberated throughout Pingtan as they streaked across the sky.

Tourists rushed to wooden structures overlooking the sea, pulling out their mobile phones to record videos of the rockets.

Shortly afterward, the Chinese military announced in a statement: “At 9:00 AM on December 30, the ground forces of the PLA Eastern Theater Command conducted long-range live-fire exercises in the waters north of Taiwan Island and achieved the desired effect.”

The Chinese maneuvers take place Following the United States' announcement of arms sales to Taiwan, and statements by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting a military response in the event of aggression against Taiwan, Beijing warned on Monday that "external forces" arming Taipei "will push the Taiwan Strait into a dangerous situation of imminent war," without naming any country. Chinese diplomatic spokesperson Lin Jian indicated that any attempt to halt the unification of China with Taiwan "is doomed to failure."

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