...they need fresh fodder and Taiwan provides it. Take the reaction to the “playing with fire” comment… that is literally the 6th time China has said that since 2014, yet it was treated as some new threat. It wasn’t.
China learned from Russia's exploits in Ukraine that merely having weaponry is not the same as having effective weaponry.
China's aircraft carriers are impressive, until you note that the jets taking off from them are not fully armed. If they were, they wouldn't have enough lift to take off.
The CCP will never admit this, of course. But behind closed doors, they know it, just as they know an invasion of Taiwan would be disastrous, even if they swept across the island and established a new government in a single day.
They're communist a-holes, but they're reasonably wise communist a-holes.
Another thing the western media overlooks is the unpredictable (and often violent) weather and wave patterns in the Taiwan Strait for about ten months out of the year. China has actually run some cover stories claiming this would not be a problem for their fleet, but again, behind closed doors, they know it would be. Even if they successfully pulled a reverse Dunkirk, with tens of thousands of PRC soldiers crossing the strait in fishermen's boats, many would arrive on Taiwan's shores in poor fighting shape. (It's hard to aim a rifle when you're seasick.)
Meanwhile, Taiwan would be defending its shores with western weapons and a motivated fighting force. It would be ugly. Very, very ugly.
But just as Ukraine is devastated, even though they haven't yet lost the war with Russia, Taiwan would be devastated by ANY invasion attempt, however unsuccessful. And Taiwan only holds value to China if it can be transferred WITHOUT devastating that technological and manufacturing infrastructure.
So the CCP needs to make it look like an invasion is forthcoming, without actually invading. And they need the western media to run cover for them, which they appear totally willing to do, because, well, money.
At that point, it all comes down to whether the governments of Taiwan and the U.S. are fool enough to fall for the bluff.
Taiwan's leaders certainly aren't falling for it. The jury's still out on the U.S.