Third Taiwan Strait Crisis 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 July 21 , 1995 to March 23 , 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 ( ROC ) government under Lee Teng - hui , who had been seen as moving ROC foreign policy away from the One - China policy . The second set of missiles were fired in early 1996 , allegedly intending to intimidate the Taiwanese electorate in the run - up to the 1996 presidential election . Lee ' s 1995 visit to Cornell . The crisis began when President Lee Teng - hui accepted an invitation from his alma mater , Cornell University to deliver a speech on " Taiwan ' s Democratization Experience " . Seeking to diplomatically isolate the Republic of China , the PRC opposed such visits by ROC ( commonly known as Taiwan ) leaders . It argued that Lee harbored pro - Taiwan independence sentiments and was therefore a threat to stability in the region . A year earlier , in 1994 , when President Lee ' s plane had stopped in Honolulu to refuel after a trip to South America , the U . S . government under President Bill Clinton refused Lee ' s request for a visa . Lee had been confined to the military airfield where he landed , forcing him to spend a night on his plane . A U . S . State Department official called the situation " embarrassing " and Lee complained that he was being treated as a second - class leader . After Lee had decided to visit Cornell , U . S . Secretary of State Warren Christopher assured PRC Foreign Minister Qian Qichen that a visa for Lee would be " inconsistent with [ the U . S . ' s ] unofficial relationship [ with Taiwan ] . " However , the humiliation from Lee ' s last visit caught the attention of many pro - Taiwan figures in the U . S . and this time , the United States Congress acted on Lee ' s behalf . In May 1995 , a concurrent resolution asking the State Department to allow Lee to visit the U . S . passed the House 396 to 0 with 38 not voting , and the Senate 97 to 1 with 2 not voting . The State Department relented on May 22 , 1995 and the PRC condemned the U . S . for " ruining " Sino - American relations . Lee spent June 9 – 10 , 1995 in the U . S . at a Cornell Alumni reunion as the PRC state press branded him a " traitor " attempting to " split China " . PRC military response . The PRC government was furious over the U . S . ’ s policy reversal . On July 7 , 1995 , the Xinhua News Agency announced missile tests to be conducted by the People ' s Liberation Army ( PLA ) and pointed out that this would endanger the peace and safety of the region . The PRC conducted tests from July 21 to 26 in an area only 60 kilometers north of ROC - held Pengjia Islet . 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 August 15 to 25 , 1995 . Naval exercises in August were followed by highly publicized amphibious assault exercises in November . U . S . military response . The U . S . government responded by staging the biggest display of American military might in Asia since the Vietnam War . President Clinton ordered additional ships into the region in March 1996 . Two aircraft carrier battlegroups , Carrier Group Seven centered on , and Carrier Group Five centered on USS " Independence " , were present in the region , and have been publicly claimed to have entered the Taiwan Strait . The " Independence " battle group was homeported in Japan at the time , and was in the area during the crisis , but reportedly remained outside of the effective exclusion zone delineated by Chinese weapons tests , posing no challenge to what some have interpreted as a de facto Chinese blockade of the strait . There is no evidence that the " Nimitz " battlegroup ever reached the vicinity of Taiwan . Run - up to the 1996 election . Beijing intended to send a message to the Taiwanese electorate that voting for Lee Teng - hui in the 1996 presidential election meant war . A third set of PLA tests from March 8 to March 15 ( just shortly preceding the March 23 election ) , sent missiles within 25 to 35 miles ( 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 March 8 , 1996 , also a presidential election year in the U . S . , the U . S . government under President Clinton announced that it was deploying the " Independence " carrier battle group ( CVBG ) , already stationed in the western Pacific , to international waters near Taiwan . On the following day , the PRC announced live - fire exercises to be conducted near Penghu from March 12 – 20 . On March 11 , the U . S . despatched Carrier Group Seven , centered around " Nimitz " , which steamed at high speed from the Persian Gulf . Tensions rose further on March 15 when Beijing announced a simulated amphibious assault planned for March 18 – 25 . 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 . " Aware of U . S . Navy carrier battle groups ' credible threat to the PLA Navy , the PRC decided to accelerate its military build up . Soon the People ' s Republic ordered Sovremenny class destroyer s from Russia , a Cold - War era class designed to counter U . S . Navy carrier groups , allegedly in mid - December 1996 during the visit to Moscow by Chinese Premier Li Peng . The PRC subsequently ordered modern attack submarines ( Kilo Class ) and warplanes ( 76 Su - 30MKK and 24 Su - 30MK2 ) to counter the U . S . Navy ' s carrier battle groups . The PRC ' s attempts at intimidation were counterproductive . Arousing more anger than fear , it boosted Lee by 5 % in the polls , earning him a majority as opposed to a mere plurality . 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 island controlled by Taiwan . Many flights to the United States and Canada were full . The then secretary general of National Security Council of Taiwan , Ding Mou - shih ( 丁懋時 ) , flew to New York to meet Samuel Berger , Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States .