China intensifies military exercises near Taiwan.

China has conducted live-fire drills near Taiwan for the third consecutive day, including simulated strikes by fighter jets and the Shandong aircraft carrier. The exercises, dubbed “Joint Sword”, are intended to rehearse an encirclement of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and has threatened to take by force if necessary. Taiwan’s defence ministry detected 70 Chinese military aircraft and 11 vessels around Taiwan, with 35 of the detected aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entering the territory’s air defence identification zone. Japan has also scrambled jets in response to the drills.