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China has launched two days of military drills around Taiwan as “strong punishment” for what it calls the island’s “separatist acts”. This is the latest:
The drills come three days after the inauguration of Taiwan’s President William Lai, who Beijing has long seen as a “dangerous troublemaker”
For the first time, Beijing is simulating a full-scale attack, rather than an economic blockade as it did during the previous round of major military exercises in 2022
This is also the first time that China has mentioned as targets outlying islands that are close to its coast
The drills underscore the root of China-Taiwan tensions – Beijing sees the island as a breakaway province while the Taiwanese see themselves as separate
Taiwan’s defence ministry has called the drills an “irrational provocation” while its foreign ministry has told China to “be rational”
China has routinely flown jets into Taiwanese airspace and sailed ships into its waters in the last few years, setting a new normal in the 100-mile strait between them
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
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