China's Military Threatens Taiwan with Escalating Exercises and Displays of Force.

China's military conducted a large-scale exercise simulating the sealing off of Taiwan in response to President Tsai Ing-wen's trip to the US to shore up Taiwan's alliances in Central America and boost its US support. The Chinese military sent several dozen warplanes and warships toward Taiwan, and announced three-day "combat readiness patrols" called Joint Sword as a warning to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its own and says contact between foreign officials and the island's democratic government encourages Taiwanese who want formal independence, a step China's ruling Communist Party says would lead to war.