What happened
China began live-fire drills in parts of the Taiwan Strait near Fujian province. The drills lasted two days. The timing matters because the drills started a day after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussed Taiwan.
The drills show that military pressure around Taiwan continued even after high-level diplomatic contact between the United States and China.
Background and earlier position
The Taiwan Strait is one of the most sensitive maritime flashpoints in East Asia. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, while the status of Taiwan remains central to the wider U.S.-China rivalry. Military activity in the strait is therefore read not only as an exercise, but also as political signalling.
What changed now
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