China held military maneuvers near Taiwan on Sunday. These are a response to “provocations” by the US and Taiwan, which were doing “common causes,” said a spokesman for the People’s Army. Beijing did not say exactly where the military exercise took place and how many aircraft were in use.
The People’s Liberation Army has “organized joint combat readiness patrols and assault drills on the water and in the air around the island of Taiwan,” the army spokesman said. It is a “robust response to increasing collusion and provocation by the US and Taiwanese authorities.”
The Chinese army released photos of a bomber, a warship and an aerial photo taken from a cockpit showing a mountain range in Taiwan. The latter was intended to highlight how close the plane came to the Taiwan coast.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday announced its “strong rejection” of a $10 billion military aid package for Taiwan, including arms sales, that had been agreed in Washington.
The visit of senior US politician Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August heightened tensions between the US and China. The People’s Army then held the largest military maneuvers in its history in the waters around Taiwan.
Since the split between China and Taiwan in 1949, Beijing has viewed the island as a breakaway territory that it wants to reunite with the mainland – if necessary using military force. China has increased military, diplomatic and economic pressure on the island nation. Beijing opposes any diplomacy that might lend legitimacy to Taiwan and has responded with increasing anger to visits by Western officials and politicians.
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