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China said it successfully completed three days of military drills around Taiwan on Monday, including simulated strikes on the island with fighter jets launched from an aircraft carrier for the first time, CNN reported.
Beijing launched military drills resembling a blockade and invasion of Taiwan on Saturday after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen arrived home after a North American tour that involved a “transit” through California to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, according to CNN. The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Shandong aircraft carrier, which lurked in the waters around Taiwan while Tsai traveled, participated in the drills and apparently launched fighters to simulate an attack on Taiwan for the first time.
Taiwan’s air defense is on perpetual high alert, the ministry of defense said in a statement as China neared the end of the drills.
“We can and we will defend our skies. And we will never give up our beliefs,” the statement said.
