Beijing: China has said it will stage military exercises in the East China Sea near Taiwan this week, with relations tense between Beijing and the self-ruled island.
This will be the third set of drills in a month and comes after the recent US approvals of arms sales worth billions to Taiwan, including F-16 fighter jets.Ties between Beijing and Taipei have plummeted since President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016 because her party refuses to recognise that Taiwan is part of “One China”.As punishment, Beijing has cut official communications, ramped up military exercises, poached diplomatic allies and increased economic pressure on the island.