China military displays force toward Taiwan after Tsai trip
Source: AP
By HUIZHONG WU 17 minutes ago
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s military sent warships and several dozen warplanes toward Taiwan in a large-scale exercise that simulated sealing off the island in an attempt at intimidation in response to the Taiwanese president’s trip to the U.S. last week.
The Chinese military earlier announced three-day “combat readiness patrols” named Joint Sword as a warning to Taiwan, a self-governed island which China claims as its own. The military exercises are similar to ones last August when China conducted missile strikes on targets in the seas around Taiwan in retaliation for then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi visit to Taiwan, but are smaller and less disruptive.
Military experts say the exercises serve as both psychological warfare and an opportunity for Chinese troops to practice sealing off Taiwan by blocking sea and air traffic, an important strategic option the Chinese military might pursue in the event it uses military force to take Taiwan.
The Chinese actions follow President Tsai Ing-wen’s delicate mission to shore up Taiwan’s dwindling diplomatic alliances in Central America and boost its U.S. support, a trip capped with a sensitive meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California. A U.S. congressional delegation also met with Tsai over the weekend in Taiwan after she returned.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/china-military-taiwan-us-7549c646a377f1f199d2cda983573279
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