‘Strong punishment’: China starts two days of military drills around #Taiwan | Military News | Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/23/china-starts-military-drills-around-the-self-governed-island-of-taiwan

"Punishment", yeah? For existing? For not begging to be enslaved? Right...

Military spokesman Colonel Li Xi said the joint exercises involving the army, navy, air force, and rocket force were a “strong punishment for the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and a stern warning against interference and provocation by external forces”, according to a post on China’s Weibo messaging platform.

Oh, what were those dirty deeds?

The show of strength, code-named Joint Sword-2024A, comes three days after Taiwan’s new president, William Lai Ching-te, took his oath of office and called on Beijing to stop its “intimidation” of the island, which China claims as its own.

I see: Taiwan elected a president (not a chairman like the PRC) and it wasn't the one the PRC wanted. Plus, that president had the audacity to ask for peaceful relations. Can you imagine that?

Just F. O...