China begins new round of war games near Taiwan

The Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, in a statement at 5 a.m., said the “Joint Sword-2024B” exercises were taking place in the Taiwan Strait and in areas north, south and east of Taiwan, Reuters reported.

“The exercise also serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces. It is a legitimate and necessary operation to safeguard state sovereignty and national unity,” he said in a statement released in Chinese and English.

The Chinese military said an aircraft carrier formation was operating east of Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry expressed its strong condemnation of China’s “irrational and provocative act,” adding that it had sent its own forces.

Lai’s national day speech highlighted the current state of cross-strait relations and the firm will to safeguard peace and stability and advocated future cooperation to deal with challenges such as climate change, the ministry added.

“The Chinese communists’ claim to ‘pick fights and stir up trouble’ is a total deviation from the truth,” he added.

China held the “Joint Sword-2024A” drills for two days around Taiwan in May shortly after Lai took office, saying they were a “punishment” for the separatist content in his inauguration speech.