TAIPEI, Taiwan — China was holding large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan and its outlying islands Monday.
China’s Defence Ministry said the drills were a response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s refusal to concede to Beijing’s demands that Taiwan acknowledge itself as a part of the People’s Republic of China under the rule of the Communist Party.
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry called the drills a provocation and said its forces were prepared to respond.
Lai took office in May, continuing the eight-year rule of the Democratic Progressive Party that rejects China’s demand that it recognize Taiwan is a part of China. China routinely states that Taiwan independence is a “dead end” and that annexation by Beijing is a historical inevitability.