China's launches drills around Taiwan to "severely punish" the island's pro-independence leader, as the U.S. boosts its war footing in Japan to deter Chinese "aggression."

Following Japan's condemnation of China's recent military exercises near Taiwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry firmly rejected Japan's criticism, stating that it violated the "one-China principle" and emphasised that China's military actions were legitimate and necessary to safeguard national sovereignty.

The Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Shandong (17) made its first deployment to the Western Pacific for 2025 and was a major unit in Tuesday’s military drill targeted at intimidating Taiwan Tuesday, according to Beijing officials.