Military exercises needed a flight to protect Taiwan

Beijing Chinese officials said Wednesday that a recent increase in military exercises and fighter missions near Taiwan, which has raised concerns in the region, is needed to protect the country's sovereignty and territory. Chinese troops flew 56 planes from the southwest coast of Taiwan on the first day of this month. This is a one-day record that concludes the four days of a sustained pressure campaign with 149 flights. Although everyone was in international airspace, the exhibition raised the fear that any failure could cause unintended escalations in the region. Taiwan sees China's move as promoting the threat of putting…