The People's Liberation Army — the military branch of the ruling Communist Party— has build bases on artificial islands in the South China Sea but its main objective is asserting Chinese control over Taiwan, a self-governing democracy Beijing claims as its own territory that has close ties to the U.S.
China deployed a smaller contingent of five planes and seven ships near Taiwan on Wednesday, just days after sending dozens of aircraft. Such missions are intended to demoralize and wear down Taiwan's defenses, which have been bolstered by upgraded U.S. F-16s, tanks and missiles, along with domestically developed armaments.