China cranks up pressure on Taiwan ahead of Lai's inauguration

SHANGHAI -- China has stepped up maritime activity and other moves that analysts see as a pressure campaign on Taiwan ahead of President-elect Lai Ching-te's inauguration in Taipei on Monday.

Chinese authorities have increased patrols near the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, a few kilometers from mainland China's southeast coast, while the People's Liberation Army's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier recently conducted its maiden sea trials. Beijing this week also announced that it was sanctioning Taiwanese political pundits and introducing legal measures to punish "separatists."