Taiwan said China’s military drills on Saturday appeared to be simulating an attack on its main island, as Chinese warplanes and warships crossed the strait’s median line in a continued show of force.
China is engaging in increasingly destabilizing action, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Saturday, saying he has communicated this to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Blinken said tensions between the U.S. and China need to be de-escalated and he told Wang that lines of communications between the two sides must be kept open.
The People’s Liberation Army said it conducted live-fire drills in the sea and airspace of northern, southwestern, and eastern Taiwan as planned on Saturday. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it detected 20 PLA warplanes and 14 warships around the Taiwan Strait as of 5 p.m. local time.
