THIS is the chilling moment China practises a daring “decapitation strike” drill – unleashing an overnight blitz to simulate capturing Taiwanese leaders.
Terrifying footage showed the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carrying out the menacing exercise – a swift mock-up invasion of the island.
Shocking footage showed Chinese troops carrying out a Taiwan invasion drillCredit: X/clashreport
Fake terrorists were eliminated during the drillsCredit: X/clashreport
In the two-minute drill, drones, military crossbows and special forces troops were used to infiltrate enemy positions.
The astonishing exercise kicked off with a precise bombing campaign which was followed by a special task force storming an isolated house.
Xi Jinping’s crack team “eliminated four terrorists” as part of the threatening drill.
Haunting footage aired on state-run China Central Television (CCTV) showed the operation unfolding without any hiccups.
The clip may have been shared to bolster Chinese military confidence – with some analysts claiming it came in response to Donald Trump’s sophisticated capture of .
In the staggering video, Chinese troops were seen operating under the cover of night.
Huge explosions tore through a targeted house as plumes of smoke rose above following precision airstrikes.
Well-trained soldiers then infiltrated the building before appearing to capture a mock terrorist.
In December, Beijing stoked fears of a global showdown after firing nearly 30 live-fire rockets close to Taiwan during its biggest ever military drill around the island.
The PLA unleashed the provocative show of force as warships, bomber aircraft and new amphibious assault vessels moved in on Taiwan for exercises rehearsing a full blockade.
The communist regime claims the self-governing island as its own territory.
The dispute has threatened to catalyse World War Three.
China‘s aggressive drills came just days after Washington approved £8billion worth of arms sales to Taiwan.
Despite simmering tensions, Donald Trump insisted he was not worried by China’s actions.
The exercises, dubbed “Justice Mission 2025″, covered the largest area yet and took place closer to Taiwan than ever before.
Haunting footage showed troops raiding a propertyCredit: X/clashreport
Explosions were also seen following sophisticated strikesCredit: X/clashreport
China deployed troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery to demonstrate its ability to cut the island off from outside help in the event of war.
Beijing has always claimed Taiwan is a part of China, but has also stepped up its territorial rhetoric.
Tensions boiled over after Japan’s prime minister suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily if Taiwan were attacked late last year.
The “Justice Mission” drills are China’s sixth major round of exercises since 2022, when then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
Under US law, Washington must provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, though arms sales remain a major flashpoint with China.
China shared ominous footage of long-range rocket launchers in useCredit: Reuters
China has a number of notorious allies who would be likely to get involved in some form.
These include the other two members of the Axis of Evil trio in North Korea‘s Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin.
The past few years have seen dozens of similarly terrifying dress rehearsal invasions take place in the South China Sea.
Experts warn the drills are blurring the line between routine training and preparations for a real attack, a tactic that could leave the US and its allies with little warning.
Why does China want to invade Taiwan?
TAIWAN insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.
But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified – and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing’s control.
The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.
Taiwan sits in the so-called “first island chain”, which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington’s foreign policy in the region.
This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West.
And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China’s enemy if it means keeping its independence.
Taiwan’s economy is another factor in China’s desperation to reclaim the land.
If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world’s electronics being made in Taiwan.
This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy.
China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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