In what analysts said was a predictable next step following the collapse of Afghanistan, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), on Tuesday launched joint live-fire assault drills in multiple locations near Taiwan.
The propaganda outlet Global Times reported: "The PLA Eastern Theater Command on Tuesday dispatched warships, anti-submarine warfare aircraft and fighter jets in surrounding maritime and aerial areas near the southwest and southeast of the island of Taiwan for military exercises including joint live-fire assaults, and also for testing the command troops’ integrated joint operation capabilities."
The PLA said in a statement that the United States and Taiwan had “repeatedly provoked and sent serious wrong signals, severely infringed upon China’s sovereignty, and severely undermined the peace and stability of the Taiwan strait, which has become the biggest source of security risks across the Taiwan strait.”
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said in response: “The nation’s military has a full grasp and has made a full assessment of the situation in the Taiwan strait region, as well as related developments at sea and in the air, and is prepared for various responses.”
In past weeks, Taiwan had a large weapon purchase order from the U.S. approved.
The CCP claims Taiwan to be a province of China, which it must retake, by force if necessary. Taiwan’s government says it is already an independent nation. Taiwan has never been ruled by the communists in China, but growing efforts by Beijing to push the archipelago’s population and government into unification has prompted increased international support for Taiwan, including from the U.S., Japan and other allies.
Gateway Pundit's Jim Hoft noted that China "is emboldened with U.S. weakness in the region, the historic collapse of Afghanistan, and the frail puppet installed in Washington, D.C."
On his Monday War Room broadcast, Steve Bannon warned that the U.S. economy will implode if Taiwan falls to communist China. According to Bannon, the entire American economy centers around the advanced chips designed, made, and manufactured in Taiwan.
Free Press International
