Beijing and Taipei have marked the Lunar New Year holiday by releasing competing videos of military grandstanding, in the latest rhetorical clash between the two governments.
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) published a video on Sunday showing famous sights and scenery from across the island of Taiwan juxtaposed against images of PLA jets and bombers soaring through the sky.
In response, the self-governed island’s military released a dramatic video of soldiers, tanks and explosions on Sunday, overlaid with the message that Taiwan’s army was “on standby 24/7.”
Tensions between Beijing and Taipei have been steadily increasing since 2016. The Chinese government has been placing greater military and economic pressure on Taiwan, which Beijing regards as part of its sovereign territory despite over 70 years of separation. In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Taiwan that independence was “a dead end” and called for “peaceful reunification.”