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China’s armed forces held more drills around Taiwan that it said were intended as a warning to the democratically run government to halt “separatist acts.”
The exercises on Monday involved army, navy, air and rocket forces, a spokesperson for the Chinese military said in a statement on social media. State broadcaster China Central Television posted a map that showed six large red blocks around Taiwan where the drills occurred, and three smaller red circles that marked offshore outposts.
The military activity was “a stern warning to the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence’ forces,” the spokesperson said. “It is a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding state sovereignty and national unity.”
The drills underscore China’s persistent efforts to squeeze new Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. They were named “Joint Sword-2024B,” following on from the “2024A” exercises held right after his inauguration in May. Like exercises two years ago after then House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, the People’s Liberation Army appeared to be practicing a blockade of Taiwan — a semiconductor hub that sits next to a key shipping lane.
Read More: Taiwan’s New President Lai Ching-te Is Standing His Ground
China has used a range of tactics to try to pressure Lai since he won election in January, including peeling off one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies, ordering increased Coast Guard activity around islets that Taipei controls and ending tariff exemptions on some agricultural products from the archipelago of 23 million people.
On Saturday, Beijing said it was studying “adopting further measures” against Taiwan for banning certain Chinese shipments. Taiwan responded by saying China was using cross-strait trade as a political weapon.
The latest PLA activity came after Lai said in a speech last week that he’d stand up to the challenges posed by China, which views Taiwan as territory that must be brought under its control, by…
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