News analysis Since August, both China and the United States, with its allies, have increased their military presence around Taiwan, heightening speculation about whether the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would risk attacking the self-governing island. Steven Xia, a former Chinese official involved in armament technology development, said the West’s increased military activity has taken place as the CCP has aggressively flexed its muscles in the region. He described the West’s recent actions, including that of Britain. “This year in May, HMS Queen Elizabeth left the U.K. and joined the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Western Pacific,” said Xia. The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, and other U.S. Naval vessels, alongside a number of vessels from other nations, have been operating in waters near Taiwan and in the South China Sea over the past several weeks. From Aug. 22 to Aug. 24, the HMS Queen Elizabeth-led carrier strike group and …