China Conducts New Military Exercises in Taiwan’s Vicinity

The Chinese military has initiated a new series of war games near Taiwan, deploying aircraft and vessels to the area. These exercises, named Joint Sword-2024B, are interpreted as a cautionary message against what China refers to as “separatist activities” by Taiwan’s pro-independence factions.

According to China’s Defense Ministry, the primary objective of these maneuvers is to evaluate the coordinated operational capabilities of their theater command forces. Taiwan, which has maintained de facto independence since 1949, denounced the exercises as “unreasonable and inflammatory.”

In retaliation, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry announced that it had mobilized appropriate forces to monitor and protect its territory. These military drills occur amid ongoing high tensions between China and Taiwan, as Beijing persists in its territorial claim over the island.