China launches military drills around Taiwan: How Beijing uses war games to intimidate the island

China launched large-scale live-fire military drills around Taiwan, involving naval, air force, rocket forces, and coast guard, as a warning against "Taiwan independence" and external interference. Taiwan condemned the drills, reporting a record 89 Chinese military aircraft and 28 warships near its shores, calling China "the greatest destroyer of peace." China has repeatedly conducted similar military exercises around Taiwan in recent years, often in response to US-Taiwan interactions or Taiwanese political events.