Taiwan cancels flights as China holds military drills

On Thursday, at least 40 flights to and from Taiwan were canceled, according to the China Times newspaper. It cited Taoyuan Airport in the capital, Taipei, as saying cancellations were “not necessarily” related to the military drills. China ordered ships and planes to avoid the military drills that encircled the self-ruled island, which the mainland’s ruling Communist Party claims as part of its territory.