U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned on Saturday that the Chinese regime’s repeated military air activities near Taiwan appear to be a “rehearsal” for future military operations against the self-ruled island. Austin issued the warning on Dec. 4 while speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California. He made the comment about Taiwan while addressing the overall challenges posed by the “emergence of an increasingly assertive and autocratic China.” “It looks like a lot like them exploring their true capabilities and sure it looks a lot like rehearsal,” Austin said when asked about the Chinese military’s air operations near Taiwan. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) doesn’t recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty and has threatened war to bring the island under its reign. In October, Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to achieve “reunification” with Taiwan and called the island’s independence a “serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation.” For over a year, …
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