China Says it Conducted Military Exercise around Taiwan to Warn US

Chinese and US flags flutter outside the building of an American company in Beijing, China January 21, 2021. (Reuters)
Chinese and US flags flutter outside the building of an American company in Beijing, China January 21, 2021. (Reuters)
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China Says it Conducted Military Exercise around Taiwan to Warn US

Chinese and US flags flutter outside the building of an American company in Beijing, China January 21, 2021. (Reuters)
Chinese and US flags flutter outside the building of an American company in Beijing, China January 21, 2021. (Reuters)

China's military said on Wednesday it recently conducted an exercise around Taiwan as a "solemn warning" against its "collusion" with the United States, Chinese state media reported.

US President Joe Biden angered China on Monday by appearing to signal a change in a US policy of "strategic ambiguity" on Taiwan by saying the United States would get involved militarily if China were to attack the island.

But he said on Tuesday there was no change to US policy.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said it had recently carried out a patrol and drill in the airspace and sea around Taiwan.

"This is a solemn warning against recent collusion between the United States and Taiwan," said spokesman for the command, Shi Yi said, according to state television.

"It is hypocritical and futile for the United States to say one thing and do another on the Taiwan issue," he said.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring democratically ruled Taiwan under its control, and the Taiwan Strait remains a potential military flashpoint.

While the United States abides by a "one China" policy, recognizing only Beijing, it has made a commitment under its Taiwan Relations Act "to help provide Taiwan the means to defend itself".

Despite that, it has long held a policy of not specifying how it might react in the event of a Chinese attack on the island.



Türkiye Arrests 15 Over Deadly Fire at Ski Resort

Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
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Türkiye Arrests 15 Over Deadly Fire at Ski Resort

Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

Türkiye has arrested 15 people as part of an investigation into a fire that killed 78 people and injured dozens at a ski resort in the Bolu mountains earlier this week, state media reported on Sunday.

The tragedy has sparked calls for accountability and reform, and independent experts have said the Grand Kartal Hotel, at the Kartalkaya ski resort in western Türkiye, lacked basic fire safety measures.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Türkiye 's judiciary was working to punish all those responsible for the incident. The hotel's management has pledged full cooperation.
On Sunday, Türkiye 's state-owned Anadolu news agency said the hotel's owner, manager, director, and 12 others were arrested as part of the probe. According to Reuters, itt said judicial proceedings continued for the deputy mayor of the Bolu province and the head of the local fire department, while six others were released under certain conditions.
The blaze started in the restaurant floor of the 12-story building, which had 238 registered guests, at around 3:30 a.m.