China 'punishes' Taiwan president's remarks with new military drills | BBC News

On Monday, China launched new military drills off the coast of Taiwan in what it described as "punishment" for a speech given by its president William Lai, where he vowed to "resist annexation" or "encroachment upon our sovereignty". China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own and its president Xi Jinping has vowed to retake it by force if necessary. Taiwan said it detected 34 naval vessels and 125 aircraft in formation around the island on Monday. Maps published by Chinese state media indicated its forces were positioned around the whole island. It said later that the drills had been successfully concluded. Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #BBCNews