China has begun a major military exercise around Taiwan, which the military in Beijing called a “serious warning” to the “separatist” forces of the island. Ships and aircraft approached from several directions. The state broadcaster CCTV published a map showing six large red areas around Taiwan where the exercises were taking place. The Taiwanese Ministry of Defence called the Chinese exercise an “irrational provocation,” stating that its own forces had been deployed to “take concrete measures to uphold freedom and democracy.” There had already been reports in recent days that China might be h…