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."

China launched its latest round of war games around Taiwan on Tuesday, saying on Wednesday they were code-named "Strait Thunder-2025" and were a "stern warning" against separatism.

On Tuesday, the Chinese military announced it had launched large-scale military drills around Taiwan, involving its army, navy, air force, and rocket forces. These exercises were described as a “stern warning” and a “forceful deterrence” against what China sees as Taiwan’s push for independence.