China has labeled Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a "parasite" in state propaganda hailing a new round of military drills. The exercises have further stoked tensions in the Taiwan Strait and tested U.S. President Donald Trump as administration officials seek to sharpen their focus on the Asia-Pacific amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory, though the Communist Party has never governed there. Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged that unification with the island is inevitable—through force if necessary.

The Chinese military said Tuesday it had launched joint exercises involving its army, navy, air force and rocket force around Taiwan as a “stern warning,” days after US defense chief Pete Hegseth vowed to counter “China’s aggression” on his first visit to Asia. China’s armed forces will “close in” on the self-governing island from “multiple directions” in the drills and practice maneuvers including “assault on maritime and ground targets” and “blockade on key areas and sea lanes” to test joint operations capabilities of the troops, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)’s Eastern Theater Command said in a statement on social media. “It is a stern warning and forceful deterrence against ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity,” the statement added.

China on Tuesday launched major combined forces exercises around Taiwan as a "stern warning" in the wake of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's pledge to counter "China’s aggression" on his first visit to Asia, as well as alleged recent 'separatist' statements by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) army, navy, air force and rocket force are involved in the drills, which seek to "close in" on the self-ruled island from "multiple directions" and practice maneuvers including "assault on maritime and ground targets” and “blockade on key areas and sea lanes." The Eastern Theatre Command simultaneous to all of this issued a brief video calling Lai a "parasite" in English, also depicting him as a green bug dangled by chopsticks over a burning Taiwan.