China is conducting its largest military operations around Taiwan in almost a year, surrounding the island with warplanes and ships. Beijing says the two-day drills, which simulate an attack on Taiwan, are in response to newly elected Lai Ching-te's inauguration speech.
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00:00 Surrounded on all sides, the largest Chinese military drills in over a year are taking
00:05 place around Taiwan, and for the first time, a simulation of a full-scale attack, all as
00:12 punishment, China says, for Taiwan's increasing efforts to pursue independence.
00:25 The drills, taking place for two days over May 23rd and 24th, are happening all around
00:31 Taiwan, smashing through the country's air defence identification zone and barely stopping
00:36 short of entering Taiwan's own territorial waters, where Taiwan's coastguard is already
00:41 encountering Chinese vessels. Beijing says the exercises, called the Joint
01:00 Sword 2024A drills, will test their military's readiness for war, and in another first, the
01:07 drills will target Taiwan's outlying islands, including Jinmen and Matsu, just kilometres
01:12 off the coast of China, important forward military posts for Taiwan. Taiwan's defence
01:18 ministry is accusing China of "irrational provocation".
01:22 "PRC's dispatch of aircraft and vessels harassing its neighbours in recent years has
01:30 threatened global peace and stability. Their military exercise is not helping with the
01:37 situation around Taiwan's straits." Taiwan's military has dispatched air, land
01:42 and naval units, as well as missile defence systems.
01:46 Coming just days after President Lai Ching-de took office, Beijing says the drills are a
01:50 direct response to Lai's inauguration speech, which they say was extremely harmful and a
01:56 complete confession of Taiwan independence. "The Republic of China and the People's Republic
02:04 of China are not on the same side." Chinese state media has called Lai the "golden
02:09 grandson" of Taiwan independence, and the biggest hidden danger that could start a cross-strait
02:15 conflict. And less than a week under a new leader, Taiwan is hoping that this level of
02:20 military aggression is simply reactionary and won't become the new norm.
02:25 Patrick Chen, Jaime O'Connor and Rhys Ayres for Taiwan Plus.
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