China's Military Runs Drills to Isolate Taiwan

China is practicing how to block Taiwan from outside help. Recent military exercises suggest they are preparing to surround the island.

China’s military is running new drills in the Western Pacific. Officials in Taiwan say these exercises are meant for 'area denial.' That is a military term for making it impossible for other countries—like the United States—to help Taiwan if a conflict happens. Reports suggest that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is practicing how to lock down the area around Taiwan. The goal seems to be isolating the island completely. In just one 24-hour period, Taiwan tracked four Chinese military planes and eight ships circling their territory. Experts at the Institute for the Study of War confirm t…