The Communist Party in Beijing claims Taiwan—a security partner of the United States on the First Island Chain, a containment line against China—as its own, despite never having governed the island since taking power on the Chinese mainland in 1949.
Last December, the Chinese military organized a large-scale exercise around Taiwan following Washington's approval of one of its largest arms sales to Taipei. The drills featured simulated blockades and rocket fire into the waters surrounding the island.
