Iran Press/ Asia: The US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a trip to Taiwan which China condemned the trip and calling it provocative action by the US officials.
China's military confirmed multiple firings of conventional missiles in waters off Taiwan as part of planned exercises in six zones set to run until noon on Sunday. It activated more than 100 planes, including fighter jets and bombers, and over ten warships, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Taiwan said 11 Chinese Dongfeng ballistic missiles had been fired in nearby waters - the first time since 1996.
Japan protested that five missiles appeared to land in its economic zone.
Taiwan's defense ministry said it scrambled jets to warn away 22 Chinese fighter aircraft that crossed the Taiwan Strait median line into its air defense zone and said troops fired flares late on Thursday to drive away four drones that flew above the area of its Kinmen islands, off the southeastern coast of China.
It said missiles fired by China flew high into the atmosphere and constituted no threat to it, responding to public concern about whether they passed over the main island of Taiwan.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Pelosi's visit to Taiwan a "manic, irresponsible and highly irrational" act, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The United States has no official diplomatic relations with Taiwan but its officials have always claimed that they are bound by US law to provide it with the means to defend itself.
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