China yesterday began one of its largest military exercises yet around Taiwan, with the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command deploying Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Rocket Forces to “encircle” and “blockade” areas of the island from multiple directions; in what will likely be the first of many such exercises in the next few years, leading up to an eventual invasion of Taiwan. The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense reports that upwards of 19 Chinese naval vessels, including the Shandong Carrier Strike Group were detected operating around the island, with several entering Taiwan’s Response Zone.
