China probes for key target weak spots with 'paralysing' Taiwan drills

China's military drills around Taiwan this week aim to send a clear message to the island's leadership, analysts say -- in the event of war, Beijing can cut them off from the outside world and grind them into submission. "Taiwan is vulnerable from an energy point of view and China is playing up that vulnerability," Dylan Loh at Singapore's NTU told AFP. And while previous drills have sought to test Taipei's response times to Chinese incursion, Beijing says this week's exercises are focused on its ability to strike key targets such as ports and energy facilities on the island.

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