China holds military drills around Taiwan, calling its president a 'parasite'
The Chinese military conducted large-scale drills around Taiwan in what it said was a “stern warning” to pro-independence forces on the Beijing-claimed island.
HONG KONG — The Chinese military conducted large-scale drills around Taiwan on Tuesday in what it said was a “stern warning” to pro-independence forces on the Beijing-claimed island, as it called Taiwan’s president a “parasite.”
The Taiwan government condemned the exercises, in which Chinese army, navy, air and rocket forces closed in on waters to the north, south and east of Taiwan, according to China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). No live fire has been reported.
Tensions have been heightened since last month, when Taiwan President Lai Ching-te described China as a “foreign hostile force” and proposed 17 measures to counter threats from Beijing, which has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its unification goal.
Beijing has rebuffed offers of talks from Lai, who says only the island’s 23 million people can decide their future.
The Chinese drills were accompanied by the release of multiple propaganda images and videos. One cartoon video titled “Shell” depicts Lai, whom Beijing calls a “separatist” and “troublemaker,” as a “parasite” held by a pair of chopsticks over a Taiwan on fire.
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