News Snapshot:
Beijing’s calculated military response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California didn’t create a splash on Chinese social media. The ‘Joint Sword’ exercise launched from 8-10 April failed to achieve a complete blockade of Taiwan. President Xi Jinping was likely trying to balance presenting himself as peacemaker-in-chief and defending China’s ‘national sovereignty’ over Taiwan. Aircraft sorties were again hovering over the Taiwan Strait, as we saw during last year’s Taiwan visit by Nancy Pelosi. Beijing was waiting for President Tsai to return to Taipei to announce the ‘Joint Sword’ exercise. But there are...
