Beijing

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China on Saturday (August 19) launched military drills around Taiwan in an angry response to Taiwanese Vice President William Lai's visit to the United States. According to a report by the Xinhua news agency, Chinese military spokesperson Shi Yi said the Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army "launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan".

The report said the drills were meant to test the PLA's ability "to seize control of air and sea spaces" and fight "in real combat conditions". The scale of these drills is not yet known.

The drills were also intended to serve as "a stern warning to the collusion of 'Taiwan independence' separatists with foreign elements and their provocations," the report added.

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Taiwan condemns drills, detects 42 warplane incursions

Taiwan condemned Saturday's drills, and said it would dispatch "appropriate forces" to respond "with practical actions". "Conducting a military exercise this time under a pretext not only does not help the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait but also highlights (China's) militaristic mentality and confirms the hegemonic nature of its military expansion," Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan said that it had detected 42 warplane incursions into its air defence zone since China announced the launch of military drills. It added it has the ability, determination, and confidence to ensure national security.

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China on Lai's US visit: '...violation of one-China principle'

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong objections of the island's government. The latest friction between the two countries comes following Taiwanese President Vice President Lai's US visit. Lai returned from the US on Friday, where he officially made only stopovers on his way to and from Paraguay, though he gave speeches while in America.

On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, "The United States insisted on arranging for William Lai to stop over twice in the country, which seriously violated the one-China principle and undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and sent out a seriously wrong signal to the Taiwan independence separatist forces. China firmly opposes it and strongly condemns this."

"The United States insisted on allowing William to stop over to engage in political activities and propagate the separatist idea of Taiwan independence, thereby enhancing official interactions and substantive relation between the United States and Taiwan, and once again exposing the true nature of the United States in saying one thing and doing another, stubbornly pursuing the strategy of using Taiwan to contain China, and constantly hollowing out the one-China principle," Wenbin added.

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