China has begun a three-day military exercise around Taiwan. This follows a visit by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to the United States.
A Chinese army spokesman told the Chinese television channel CGTN that the exercises should be seen as a serious warning, due to “provocations from separatists seeking Taiwanese independence”.
Taiwan President Tsai met Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles on Wednesday. That led to great anger from China, which considers Taiwan its own territory.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Saturday morning that it has seen four Chinese aircraft in Taiwan’s air defense zone in the past 24 hours, but that this is not an unusual number.
The ministry reported on Twitter not much later that it had already observed 8 Chinese naval vessels and 42 fighter jets around the island.
