China holds large naval, air force exercises surrounding Taiwan and its outlying islands

This handout from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, issued on October 14, 2024, shows a map of the locations of the “Joint Sword-2024B” military exercises being conducted by China around Taiwan. , Photo credit: AFP/China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command

China was conducting large-scale military exercises around Taiwan and its outlying islands on Monday (October 14, 2024).

China’s Defense Ministry said the exercise was a response Taiwan President Lai Ching-teRefusal to accede to Beijing’s demand that Taiwan recognize itself as part of the People’s Republic of China under Communist Party rule.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry described the drills as a provocation and said its military was prepared to respond.

Mr Lai takes office in May 2024, continuing the eight-year rule of the Democratic Progressive Party, which has rejected China’s demand that it recognize Taiwan as part of China. China regularly says Taiwan independence is a “dead end” and its annexation by Beijing is a historical inevitability.