China launched joint military exercises involving its army, navy, and rocket forces around Taiwan on Tuesday, describing them as a “stern warning” against separatism. The drills come in response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s recent remarks referring to Beijing as a “foreign hostile force.”
The Eastern Theatre Command of China’s military stated that the exercises focus on “combat readiness patrols at sea and in the air, seizing comprehensive control, striking maritime and land targets, and imposing blockade controls on key areas and routes.”
In a video announcement accompanying the drills, China depicted Lai as a cartoon bug held by chopsticks above a burning Taiwan, labelling him in English as a “parasite.” Beijing has long viewed Lai as a separatist and refuses to renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
Taiwan’s government strongly condemned the exercises, with the presidential office stating that China is “widely recognised by the international community as a troublemaker.” Taipei reaffirmed its stance that only the people of Taiwan can determine the island’s future.
Two senior Taiwanese officials said that more than 10 Chinese warships had approached Taiwan’s 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone, prompting Taipei to deploy its own naval forces. However, no live fire had been detected from the Chinese military.
Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, regularly conducting drills near the island as part of its broader efforts to assert its claims of sovereignty.
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