China described the launch as a routine annual military training arrangement not directed at any country, spokesperson Mao Ning said it was safe and professional.

WHY THIS MATTERS · This matters because a doubling of PLA sorties and two carrier groups inside the first island chain sharply raises the odds of an accidental clash, and any real blockade would choke off the advanced chips that power the world's phones, cars, and weapons.

Part of the monitored dynamic Taiwan Strait Pressure · VUCA INDEX 75/100