China has surrounded Taiwan with its military forces for a practice blockade exercise, sparking tensions between the two countries. The Chinese military claims it is practicing a blockade of the self-ruled island as part of “sea-air combat-readiness patrols” and “blockade on key areas and sea lanes”. The exercises involve deploying 19 warships around Taiwan, including an aircraft carrier group.
Taiwan’s defence ministry has expressed concern over Beijing’s increasing military presence in the region. The Chinese military has warned Taiwanese separatists that they are “courting disaster upon themselves”.
The drills have raised concerns about a potential flashpoint for a war between China and the US, which is Taiwan’s most important backer and biggest arms supplier. Washington has maintained “strategic ambiguity” on whether it would deploy its military to defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack.
Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te has been more outspoken than his predecessor in defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, angering the Chinese government. The dispute between China and Taiwan dates back to 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang nationalist forces fled to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war with Mao Zedong’s communist fighters.
China has increased its military presence around Taiwan in recent years, conducting multiple drills on the island. The latest exercises are the largest since February, when China staged a “live-fire” combat drill off the southern coast of Taiwan.
Source: https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20250401-chinese-military-surrounds-taiwan-in-latest-military-drills