Not all in China’s military view Taiwan, the West as primary threat

China's President Xi Jinping is pictured between soldiers from an honour guard at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, in 2015 [File: Jason Lee/Reuters]

In August, Chinese fighter jets took off from China’s eastern coast and roared across the Taiwan Strait to engage in military drills with Chinese warships around the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has committed to unifying Taiwan with mainland China and the mobilisation of planes and ships is part of increasingly frequent military exercises as Beijing practises the use of force in ending Taiwan’s separateness – should it be necessary.