Taiwan warns China drills show ambitions beyond island

A military fighter jet flies above the Taiwan Strait (Ng Han Guan/AP)

Taiwan has warned that Chinese military drills are not just a rehearsal for an invasion of the self-governing island but also reflect ambitions to control large swaths of the western Pacific, as Taipei conducted its own exercises to underscore it is ready to defend itself.

Angered by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, China has sent military ships and planes across the midline that separates the two sides in the Taiwan Strait and launched missiles into waters surrounding the island.