China’s military exercises around Taiwan: Power play at sea

News Snapshot:

On the face of it, the message from China’s military exercise — which included units from the People’s Liberation Army, the PLA-Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard — is unambiguous. According to China’s defence ministry, the drills around Taiwan’s main island are meant to test the military’s ability to “seize power” in key areas — in essence, facilitate an annexation. The drills, which began suddenly on Thursday, also conducted mock missile strikes targeting key offshore islands as well as strategically and commercially important sea lanes. The provocation is the election of Lai Ching Te — who assumed office on May...