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Why China’s war games around Taiwan are different this time
- The PLA has held missile tests aimed at the island before but it largely abided by a tacit understanding not to cross the median line
- Beijing is trying to send a message about its growing ability to blockade Taiwan, observers say
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The waters near Taiwan have been the site of military crises over the decades – twice in the 1950s and again in the mid-1990s.
But this time is different, with Beijing breaking tacit cross-strait understandings and showing better planning of massive exercises meant to warn Taiwan, according to defence analysts.
“From repeating advanced warnings, to the formal announcement and specific operations of the war games, the People’s Liberation Army wants to show the world that they are not only combat-ready for a Taiwan contingency, but also keeping all risks under control,” said Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of Canada-based Kanwa Asian Defence.
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The PLA exercises were launched on Thursday in the wake of a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan and will continue until noon on Sunday.
Soon after Pelosi landed on the island on Tuesday night, the PLA announced it would set up six “danger zones” encircling Taiwan.
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Most of the zones were well beyond the median line that separates mainland China and Taiwan while one of the areas straddled it.
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