On this day 20-years ago, China fired DF-15 ballistic missiles from Fujian province into waters off the island of Taiwan as a warning to the island not to seek independence.
By IceUnshattered (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Some sources said two missiles were launched on that day while others put it at three missiles with another missile fired on Mar. 13.
It was not the first time during the crisis, which started on Jul. 21, 1995, that China had sent missiles as a warning. The significance of the Mar. 8 missiles firings was that the warheads landed not far from the ports of Keelung and Kaohsiung.
In response to the firings, the Pentagon dispatched USS Nimitz and USS Independence towards Taiwan. The presence of the aircraft carriers and their battle groups left a deep impact on the Chinese military leadership. The country soon embarked on a program to prevent a future occurrence. Four Sovremenny-class destroyers were imported and assigned to the East Sea Fleet. Su-30 fighters were added to counter American battle groups.
But the most significant development was China’s research into anti-ship ballistic missiles. Nineteen years after Nimitz and her battle group sailed through the Taiwan Strait, China parade its two anti-ship ballistic missiles to the world along Changan Avenue in Beijing.