The Irish Times view on China and Taiwan: Beijing lays down a marker

The latest large-scale Chinese military and coastguard exercises around Taiwan mark a significant escalation in its bullying of the independent island which Beijing regards as a province which must be "reunified" with the mainland. It has not ruled out using force to do so, and President Xi Jinping continues to wave this popular nationalist flag, as he also did in his response to Trump's tariffs. Last week China sent 76 aircraft and over 20 navy and coastguard ships, including the Shandong carrier group, to positions around Taiwan in exercises that included simulated landings and attacks on infrastructure. Their purpose was…