Asia-Pacific
China holds large naval and air force exercises surrounding Taiwan and its outlying islands
Associated Press
October 14, 2024
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivers a speech during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Chiang Ying-ying/AP)
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China was holding large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan and its outlying islands Monday.
China’s Defense Ministry said the drills were a response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s refusal to concede to Beijing’s demands that Taiwan acknowledge itself as a part of the People’s Republic of China under the rule of the Communist Party.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry called the drills a provocation and said its forces were prepared to respond.
Lai took office in May, continuing the eight-year rule of the Democratic Progressive Party that rejects China’s demand that it recognize Taiwan is a part of China. China routinely states that Taiwan independence is a “dead end” and that annexation by Beijing is a historical inevitability.