Canberra Warned by Taiwan of Beijing’s Military Aggression

The CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has admitted its military drills around Taiwan are designed to test its ability to “seize power” over the island as aggressive manoeuvres near the island enter a second day. It described its sending of warships and fighter jets into the area around Taiwan and its outlying islands as “a strong punishment for separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces.” Those “separatist acts” seem to amount to democratically electing its President Lai Ching-te, who’s earned Beijing’s disapproval by championing the island’s sovereignty and distinct identity from the mainland. In his inauguration speech on May 20, he called on Beijing to cease its intimidation of Taiwan, which has increased under CCP leader Xi Jinping, who has repeatedly made clear his view that the island’s “inevitable reunification” with the mainland cannot be put off indefinitely....