China ended two days of war games around Taiwan in which it simulated attacks with bombers and practiced boarding ships, exercises that Taiwan condemned as "blatant provocation" on Saturday, detailing a surge of Chinese warplanes and warships. - REUTERS
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 China has ended two days of war games around Taiwan, exercises that Taiwan condemned as
00:07 blatant provocation on Saturday, detailing a surge of Chinese war planes and warships.
00:13 On Thursday, China began simulating attacks with bombers and practiced boarding ships.
00:18 Chinese state television's military channel said late on Friday the drills had concluded.
00:23 China's defense ministry did not answer calls seeking comment on Saturday.
00:28 The country claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, and launched
00:32 the Joint Sword 2024-A exercises three days after Lai Ching-teh became Taiwan's president.
00:40 Beijing calls Lai a separatist, and said the exercises were punishment for Lai's Monday
00:44 inauguration speech, in which he said the two sides of the Taiwan Strait were "not subordinate
00:50 to each other."
00:52 China viewed that as a declaration the two are separate countries.
00:55 Lai rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.
00:58 His repeated offers for talks with China have been rebuffed.
01:02 Taiwan's defense ministry said it had detected 62 Chinese military aircraft and 27 Navy ships
01:08 on Friday, including 46 planes that crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line, which previously
01:13 served as an unofficial barrier.
01:16 Taiwan's presidential office on Saturday said China's military moves had undermined the
01:21 peaceful and stable status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
01:25 The U.S. State Department said on Saturday that the U.S. was deeply concerned over China's
01:29 military drills around Taiwan, and strongly urged it to act with restraint.
01:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]