China Launches Military Drills Encircling Taiwan as Warning to New President

Taiwan has scrambled jets and put its forces on alert in response to Chinese military exercises around the island, which Beijing calls a "powerful punishment" for Taiwan's new president, Lai Ching-te. Taiwan's Defense Ministry condemned China's actions as a threat to regional peace, while the U.S. and Japan have also criticized the exercises. The situation underscores ongoing tensions over Taiwan's de facto independence and its strategic importance in global supply chains and regional security.