China has started military drills surrounding the self-governing island of Taiwan, according to Chinese state media.
The state-run Xinhua news agency said the Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army started the drills at 7:45am (23:45 GMT) on Thursday in the Taiwan Strait, the north, south and east of Taiwan, as well as areas around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin.
It did not say how long the drills would last.
Taiwan’s new president William Lai Ching-te took his oath of office on Monday and called on Beijing to stop its “intimidation”.
China claims the island as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goals.
More to come…