China launched a series of military drills Thursday around Taiwan as “punishment” for the swearing-in of the island’s new president, Chinese state media reported.

Lai Ching-te, inaugurated Monday, is a member of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party and won the island’s presidential election in January. China’s People’s Liberation Army initiated joint naval and air drills around the island in an act of intimidation and retaliation for Taiwan’s continued claim to independence.

The “Taiwan question” is one of Beijing’s most sensitive issues. China views Taiwan as a rogue territory that needs to be reunited with the mainland and demands other countries view the issue similarly.

Some in the international community are concerned that China eventually will invade Taiwan and take the island by force if it doesn’t surrender peacefully.

The CCP’s military exercises, which highlight its hegemony........

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