Breitbrt
Date: 2 Apr 20203
By: Gabrielle Reyes

Chinese state media reported on Wednesday the national military command responsible for patrols around Taiwan staged a long-endurance, early-warning exercise in March.

A warplane conducted unspecified tactical acrobatics immediately after taking off, a maneuver not commonly seen in previous drills. It was intended to simulate quickly countering enemy planes during wartime, according to the plane’s captain. The Chinese government claimed the plane performed surveillance work and tested airborne strikes. Joining the plane’s exercises was a combat drill by Chinese fighter jets. According to the report, the drill lasted for about 36 hours.

The exercise follows previous Chinese military drills near Taiwan in recent months, at a time in which Taiwan’s government has focused heavily on containing the growing Chinese coronavirus pandemic and received international praise for its successful handling and containment of the disease.

Apparently frustrated by this success, China – which considers the independent country a renegade province – has regularly carried out military maneuvers to place pressure on Taiwan. 
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