China completes 3 days of military drills simulating blockades around Taiwan

(Worthy News) – China announced Monday it “successfully completed” a three-day military exercise during which it practiced installing naval and aerial blockades around Taiwan, i24 News reports. The drill began on Saturday, causing some consternation amid ongoing fears that China is edging toward an invasion of self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of the Chinese mainland.

Taipei announced on Monday that China had sent an aircraft carrier and fighter jets to join warships in practicing drills near the island nation, i24 News reports. According to Chinese state media, the aircraft included nuclear-capable H-6 bombers armed with live missiles.

The drills simulated a “multi-directional island-encompassing blockade situation,” i24 News quoted Chinese media as reporting.

The planes practiced an “aerial blockade,” according to Chinese reports.

Meanwhile, the United States, which has pledged its support for Taiwan and has called on China to exercise restraint, sent the USS Milius guided-missile destroyer on Monday through contested parts of the South China Sea, i24 News said.

This action by the US angered Beijing, which claimed the destroyer had “illegally intruded” into Chinese territorial waters.

However, the Biden administration has warned that Taiwan’s independence and cross-strait peace were “mutually exclusive,” i24 News reports.

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