BEIJING: China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a \u201cstern warning\u201d after voicing anger over a stopover in the United States by the island\u2019s vice president, William Lai.<\/p>\n
Taiwan said its islanders will defend themselves and not be intimidated by China’s forces. Taiwan officals said China should stop showing force and resort to dialogue as they are a sovereign country and we the right to establish relations with other countries<\/p>\n
Lai, who is the frontrunner in Taiwan\u2019s presidential election next year, stopped in New York and returned via San Francisco on a trip to Paraguay, one of a dwindling number of nations that diplomatically recognize Taipei.
\nChina has called Lai a \u201ctroublemaker\u201d and vowed to take \u201cresolute and forceful measures to safeguard national sovereignty.\u201d
\nOn Saturday, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People\u2019s Liberation Army \u201claunched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan,\u201d state media outlet Xinhua quoted military spokesperson Shi Yi as saying.
\nXinhua said the drills were meant to test the PLA\u2019s ability \u201cto seize control of air and sea spaces\u201d and fight \u201cin real combat conditions.\u201d
\nThey also were intended to serve as \u201ca stern warning to the collusion of \u2018Taiwan independence\u2019 separatists with foreign elements and their provocations,\u201d it added.
\nChina claims Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to seize it.
\nIt launched major military exercises after Nancy Pelosi, then House speaker, visited Taiwan last year and later when President Tsai Ing-wen met top US lawmakers as she transited through the United States.
\nWashington had called for calm over Lai\u2019s transit, describing the travel as routine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING: China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a \u201cstern warning\u201d after voicing anger over a stopover in the United States by the island\u2019s vice president, William Lai. Taiwan said its islanders will defend themselves and not be intimidated by China’s forces. Taiwan officals said China should stop showing force and resort to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350338,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-350336","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n