China sent warships and dozens of fighter jets toward Taiwan on Saturday, the Taiwanese government said, in retaliation for a meeting between the U.S. House of Representatives speaker and the president of the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.
The Chinese military announced the start of three-day “combat readiness patrols” as a warning to Taiwanese who want to make the island’s de facto independence permanent. The People's Liberation Army gave no indication whether they might include a repeat of previous exercises with missiles fired into the sea, which disrupted shipping and airline flights.
Also Saturday, the navy planned to hold “live fire training" in Luoyuan Bay in Fujian province opposite Taiwan, the local Maritime Authority announced. Ships were banned during the firing, which also was due to take place on five dates over the next two weeks. Plans also called for the exercise to include a destroyer, missile boats, ballistic missiles and land-based anti-ship missiles as well as early warning, electronic warfare and tanker aircraft, according to the The Global Times, a newspaper published by the Communist Party.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's government has stepped up efforts to intimidate the island by flying fighter jets and bombers nearby and firing missiles into the sea. On Saturday, the PLA was testing its ability to dominate the sea, air and information and to “create a situation of deterrence and suppression," the mainland newspaper The China Daily said.
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