China's launches drills around Taiwan to "severely punish" the island's pro-independence leader, as the U.S. boosts its war footing in Japan to deter Chinese "aggression."

The barges, which link up to form a bridge, could give China a way to land large numbers of vehicles and troops on Taiwan, solving a major logistical problem.

President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs and a 25% tariff on car imports on his much-anticipated "Liberation Day" tariff rollout.

The People's Liberation Army said Wednesday it had carried out live-fire strikes on targets simulating Taiwanese infrastructure.

The exercises, which were launched without warning, involved navy, air, ground, and rocket forces, and were the latest in a series of ominous demonstrations of Beijing's military might towards the self-governing state.