BEIJING: China’s military began its second day of war games around Taiwan on Friday (May 24), with drills to test its ability to “seize power” and control key areas. The military claims the exercises were launched to punish Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te. The two-day drills began just three days after Lai took office in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan-controlled islands near China’s coast.
China, which considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory and calls Lai a “separatist,” condemned his inauguration speech on Monday, in which he urged Beijing to stop its threats and stated that the two sides of the strait were “not subordinate to each other.”
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command said in a brief statement that its forces continued their “Joint Sword – 2024A” drills on Friday.
According to the statement, the exercises aim to “test the ability to jointly seize power, launch joint attacks, and occupy key areas.”
Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but has been rejected. He claims that only Taiwanese people have the right to decide their own future and rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
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