Taiwan military on high alert as China warships sail near island

Taiwan’s military was on high alert Monday after detecting Chinese warships near the island, Taipei said, as it prepared for likely drills by Beijing in response to President Lai Ching-te’s US visits. The Taiwanese defense ministry said it also spotted Chinese coast guard vessels and that Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had restricted the airspace off the Chinese coast. There has been intense speculation about the possibility of China launching military exercises in response to Lai’s trip to the Pacific last week which included stopovers in Hawaii and Guam. “In response to these actions by the PLA, the MND has…