Tensions Escalate After China Military Drills Near Taiwan
China has flexed its military prowess in a recent large-scale exercise in seas around Taiwan.
The nation said its soldiers are "ready to fight" after conducting a simulation that sealed off the island. The military flexing followed Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen's visit to the U.S. last week.
China conducted a similar exercise, which included missile strikes on targets near Taiwan, last summer when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
Despite the exercise, it was business as usual in the surrounding waters. The Associated Press reported that maritime traffic "largely continued as normal."
Early Monday, the People's Liberation Army launched its Shandong aircraft carrier into the military exercise, which some speculate could be used to ward off aid for foreign countries looking to defend Taiwan.
With tensions rising in the region, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it was not looking to escalate conflict with China.
A former organizer of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Thursday to 17 years in prison for spearheading an attack on the U.S. Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election.
Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty and waived arraignment in the case accusing him and others of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
