China Calls Taiwan President 'Parasite' As Political Tensions Soar

China has labeled Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a "parasite" in state propaganda hailing a new round of military drills.

Newsweek reached out to the China's Foreign Ministry via email with a request for comment

Why It Matters

The exercises have further stoked tensions in the Taiwan Strait and tested U.S. President Donald Trump as administration officials seek to sharpen their focus on the Asia-Pacific amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory, though the Communist Party has never governed there. Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged that unification with the island is inevitable—through force if necessary.

What To Know

The Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command on Wednesday entered its second day of drills around Taiwan in what it called a "severe warning," echoing previous exercises including those carried out in May following the inauguration of Lai's inauguration, whom China has called a "separatist" and "destroyer of peace."

The drills, which involved air, ground, and rocket forces, were accompanied by a flurry of Chinese propaganda aimed at projecting strength.

Among the material was a short video released on the Eastern Theater Command's Chinese social media accounts, titled Shell. The cartoon depicts President Lai Ching-te as a "parasite poisoning Taiwan Island," which is shown encased in a transparent shield.

Suddenly, the "shell" bursts and the island erupts in flames. Images of Chinese warships, missile launchers and fighter jets begin rotating around the island. A hand holding chopsticks then descends from the west and roasts a sobbing Lai over the blaze.

The Command accuses Lai of "using the shell to deceive the world with green lies and attacks, relying on foreign powers to plot independence and stir chaos within, committing evil that divides one family across the strait, and perverting democracy to ruin prosperity."

Green is the color associated with the Beijing-skeptic political coalition led by Lai's Democratic Progressive Party.

Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Shi Yi said in a statement that the drills—dubbed "Strait Thunder-2025A"—included long-range live-fire exercises in "relevant waters of the East China Sea," as well as precision strikes on dummy targets meant to represent ports and energy infrastructure.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said on X (formerly Twitter) that as of 6 a.m. local time Wednesday, it had detected 15 warships operating around the island and 76 Chinese military aircraft, including 37 that crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

What People Are Saying

At a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei condemned the "unjustified" drills, saying China had "once again challenged the rules-based international order and unilaterally and seriously undermined the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait and the region."

Tammy Bruce, spokesperson, U.S. State Department, said in a statement: "Once again, China's aggressive military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region's security and the world's prosperity at risk.

"In the face of China's intimidation tactics and destabilizing behavior, the United States' enduring commitment to our allies and partners, including Taiwan, continues."

What's Next?

Taiwan's Presidential Office said Tuesday that Lai had ordered defense forces to mount "a rigorous response."

The Defense Ministry said it had deployed ships, aircraft, and coastal missile systems to "closely monitor and maintain situational awareness of People's Liberation Army aircraft and ships entering our response zone."