China calls Taiwan's annual military drills a 'wasteful charade'

BEIJING, Aug 14: China's defence ministry on Friday dismissed Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military drills as a "wasteful charade" that "stoked war panic", in the Chinese government's first official comment on the 10 days of war games since they began last week.
Taiwan, a democratically governed island that rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, began the exercise last week, as China ramps up its military presence around the island.
The exercises rehearsed various scenarios should China ever make good on threats to try to seize the island by force, including how to break a maritime blockade and, for the first time, slowing mobile internet.�" REUTERS