US condemns Chinese missile launches, says aircraft carrier to remain in region

The White House condemned on Thursday China's launching of missiles near Taiwan during live-fire exercises and announced that a US aircraft carrier strike group will remain in the region amid heightened tensions.

China earlier announced that military exercises by its navy, air force and other departments were underway in six zones surrounding Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary.

Five of the missiles fired by China landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone off Hateruma, an island far south of Japan's main islands, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said. He said Japan protested the missile landings to China as "serious threats to Japan's national security and the safety of the Japanese people."

"We condemn these actions, which are irresponsible and at odds with our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region," Kirby told reporters at the White House. "China has chosen to overreact and use the speaker's visit as a pretext to increase provocative military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait."

He was referring to Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which brought regional tensions to a fever pitch.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and its strike group to remain in the region and Kirby said while there it would remain to "monitor the situation."

"They'll be there for a little bit longer than they were originally planned," said Kirby. "I won't get ahead of the ship's schedule but the president believed it was a prudent thing to do -- to leave her and her escort ships there just a little bit longer."