China's Aggressive Military Maneuvers Near Taiwan Raise Tensions.

China flew 38 fighter jets and other warplanes near Taiwan, along with naval vessels in the area, in the biggest such display since the large military exercise in which it simulated sealing off the island earlier in April. The US Navy also flew a P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft through the Taiwan Strait, prompting a protest from China's People's Liberation Army. The US remains Taiwan's closest military and political ally, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between them. China has threatened to bring Taiwan under its control by force if necessary, and China's intensely nationalistic leader Xi Jinping has sworn never to give up "a single inch" of territory claimed by his country.