Taiwan`s defence ministry said on Thursday the Chinese military launched a total of 11 Dongfeng ballistic missiles into waters near Taiwan`s northern, southern and eastern coasts in several volleys.

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Earlier in the day, Chinese military launched missiles from near Taiwan`s Matsu islands.

The last time China fired missiles into waters around Taiwan was in 1996. 

Taiwan`s defence ministry said several Dongfeng missiles had been fired in waters to the northeast and southwest of the island.

Two missiles were also launched by China near Taiwan`s Matsu islands, which lie off the coast of China, at around 2 p.m.

China fired multiple missiles around Taiwan on Thursday as it launched unprecedented military drills a day after a visit by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-ruled island that Beijing regards as its sovereign territory.  

In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, Taiwan military forces conduct anti-landing drills during the annual Han Kuang military exercises near New Taipei City in Taiwan on July 27, 2022. Taiwan has put its military on alert and staged civil defense drills. (Image: PTI)

The United States and the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations warned China against using Pelosi`s visit as a pretext for military action against Taiwan.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said earlier in the week that Pelosi was within her rights to visit Taiwan, while stressing that the trip did not constitute a violation of Chinese sovereignty or America`s longstanding "one-China" policy.

The United States has no official diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by American law to provide it with the means to defend itself.

China views visits by U.S. officials to Taiwan as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp on the island. Taiwan rejects China`s sovereignty claims, saying only the Taiwanese people can decide the island`s future.

(Inputs from agency)