China Launches Military Exercises Around Taiwan

China has launched military exercises around Taiwan in what it termed a “stern warning” to the self-governing island’s leadership, in response to a meeting between Taiwan’s president and the US House speaker.

The move prompted condemnation from Taiwan and appeals for restraint from the United States, which stated that it was “monitoring Beijing’s actions closely”

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) stated in a statement that the three-day United Sharp Sword operation, which, according to state media, includes practicing an encirclement of Taiwan, will conclude on Monday.

A PLA spokesperson stated that China will dispatch aircraft, ships, and personnel into the maritime and airspace of the Taiwan Strait, off the northern and southern coasts of the island, and to the island’s east.

“The taskforce will simultaneously organize patrols and advances around Taiwan island, shaping an all-round encirclement and deterrence posture,” according to a report from state broadcaster CCTV.

The report outlined the various types of weapons that China would employ, including long-range rocket artillery, naval destroyers, missile boats, air force fighters, bombers, jammers, and refuelers.

Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, condemned the exercises following her meeting with Kevin McCarthy, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, in California.

She vowed to collaborate with “the United States and other like-minded nations” to combat “continued authoritarian expansionism.”

In Washington, a spokesperson for the State Department stated that the United States had “consistently urged restraint and no change to the status quo” but that it had ample resources to fulfill its security obligations in Asia.