Immediately after the inauguration of Taiwanese President Lai Cning-te, China began military drills around the island, sending fully armed warplanes there and staging mock attacks.
What is known about China's military exercises
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, condemned Lai Cning-te's inaugural speech, in which he called on Beijing to end its threats and said the two sides of the strait were "not subservient to each other".
The president of Taiwan has repeatedly offered to negotiate with China but has been refused. He believes that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future and rejects Beijing's claims to sovereignty.
In response to the inauguration, China's People's Liberation Army launched military drills involving the army, navy, air force and missile forces in the Taiwan Strait and around a group of islands controlled by Taiwan.
Chinese media reported that China sent dozens of fighter jets with war missiles and carried out simulated strikes along with warships "on important military targets".
Taiwan's defence ministry condemned the Chinese military drills and said it had deployed its forces to areas around the island, and its air defence and ground-based missile forces were tracking targets to defend its territory if threatened.
Taiwanese MOD believes that the start of such exercises "underlines the militaristic mentality" of China.
What is happening between China and Taiwan
China's ruling Communist Party considers Taiwan, an island with a population of 24 million, as part of its territory. Beijing has promised to "reunify" the island with mainland China. Tensions around Taiwan have increased significantly in 2022. US President Joe Biden said the US would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping in March 2023 urged China to prepare for war and increased the defense budget, and in a New Year's address on the eve of 2024, he said that China's "reunification" with Taiwan was inevitable.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan also predicts a possible attack by China in 2027. In March, the United States announced that China was building up its military and nuclear arsenal for an invasion of Taiwan.
