1995-96 жылғы Тайвань бұғазындағы шиеленіс

1995–96 period of tension between Taiwan and China following the latter's missile tests

The Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, also called the 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis or the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, was the effect of a series of missile tests conducted by the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the waters surrounding Taiwan, including the Taiwan Strait from 21 July 1995 to 23 March 1996. The first set of missiles fired in mid to late 1995 were allegedly intended to send a strong signal to the Republic of China government under President Lee Teng hui, who had been seen as "moving its foreign policy away from the One China policy", as claimed by PRC. The State Department relented on 22 May 1995. Lee spent 9–10 June 1995, in the U. S. at a Cornell alumni reunion as the PRC state press branded him a "traitor" attempting to "split China".

The United States had not prepared the People's Republic of China for its policy reversal in granting a visa and CCP general secretary Jiang Zemin was furious over the U. S.'s policy reversal. On 7 July 1995, PRC responded, the Xinhua News Agency announced missile tests would be conducted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and argued that this attitude would endanger the peace and safety of the region (Mainlander refers to it as the fourth Taiwan strait crisis). At the same time, the PRC mobilized forces in Fujian. In the later part of July and early August, numerous commentaries were published by Xinhua and the People's Daily condemning Lee and his cross strait policies. Another set of missile firings, accompanied by live ammunition exercises, occurred from 15 to 25 August 1995. Naval exercises in August were followed by highly publicized amphibious assault exercises in November.

The United States responded by sending two aircraft carrier groups to the vicinity of Taiwan.

Beijing intended to send a message to the Taiwanese electorate that voting for Lee Teng hui in the 1996 presidential election on 23 March meant war. A third set of PLA tests from 8 March to 15 March (just before the election), sent missiles within (just inside the ROC's territorial waters) off the ports of Keelung and Kaohsiung. Over 70 percent of commercial shipping passed through the targeted ports, which were disrupted by the proximity of the tests. Flights to Japan and trans Pacific flights were prolonged by ten minutes because airplanes needed to detour away from the flight path. Ships traveling between Kaohsiung and Hong Kong had to take a two hour detour. On 8 March 1996, also a presidential election year in the U. S., President Clinton announced that the USS Independence CV 62 and her Carrier Battlegroup (Carrier Group Five), returning to Japan from its visit to the Philippines, would deploy to international waters near Taiwan. According to the Washington Post, that same day; the USS Bunker Hill CG 52 (which had detached from the Independence Battlegroup) along with a RC 135 Intelligence aircraft monitored the launch of 3 CSS 6 (DF 15) missiles from the PRC, two of them into shipping lanes near Kaohsiung and one fired directly over Taipei into a shipping lane near Keelung. On the following day, the PRC announced live fire exercises to be conducted near Penghu from 12 to 20 March. On 11 March, the U. S. dispatched USS Nimitz CVN 68 and her battlegroup, Carrier Group Seven, which steamed at high speed from the Persian Gulf. Tensions rose further on 15 March when Beijing announced a simulated amphibious assault planned for 18–25 March. Nimitz and her battle group, along with Belleau Wood, sailed through the Taiwan Strait, while Independence did not.

Sending two carrier battle groups showed not only a symbolic gesture towards the ROC, but a readiness to fight on the part of the U. S. The ROC government and Democratic Progressive Party welcomed America's support, but staunch unificationist presidential candidate Lin Yang kang and the PRC decried "foreign intervention." Jiang ordered the People's Liberation Army to begin a ten year modernization program. The military tests and exercises also strengthened the argument for further U. S. arms sales to the ROC and led to the strengthening of military ties between the U. S. and Japan, increasing the role Japan would play in defending Taiwan. During the military exercises in March, there were preoccupations in Taiwan that the PRC would occupy some small islands controlled by Taiwan, causing panic among many citizens. Therefore, many flights from Taiwan to the United States and Canada were full. The most likely target was Wuqiu (Wuchiu), then garrisoned by 500 soldiers. The outlying islands were placed on high alert. The then secretary general of the National Security Council of Taiwan, Ting Mao shih, flew to New York to meet Samuel Berger, Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States.

In 1999, Major General Liu Liankun, a top Chinese military logistics officer, and his subordinate Senior Colonel Shao Zhengzhong were arrested, court martialed and executed for disclosing to Taiwan that the missiles had unarmed warheads despite the Chinese government's claims.

According to Sankei Shimbun series "Secret Records on Lee Teng hui" dated 1 April 2019, Tseng Yong hsien, Lee's National Policy Adviser, received a direct message from China official in early July 1995; "Our ballistic missiles will be launched toward Taiwan a couple of weeks later, but you guys don't have to worry." This was communicated to Lee soon after, to prevent escalation. Tseng, as an envoy of Lee, had met President Yang Shangkun in 1992 and had a secret connection with Ye Xuanning, Head of the Liaison Department of the PLA.