China to conduct 3-day military drills encircling Taiwan as Tsai Ing-wen wraps US visit

China announced on Saturday that it will be conducting military drills spanning three days near Taiwan, just days after it vowed to take "resolute and effective measures" in retaliation to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's recent visit to the United States and meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

According to the spokesperson for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command, the military will, “as planned," conduct patrols around the island nation and perform exercises codenamed “Joint Sharp Sword” until Monday. The exercises as well as the patrols will take place in the Taiwan Strait, a water body that separates the island from mainland China.

The exercises, which will consist of both air and seaborne operations, will also be held around the north, south, and east of Taiwan. The Chinese military's announcement comes as Taiwan remains on edge after its president wrapped up a meeting with a top US official on American soil. On Saturday, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defence detected 13 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels.

Taiwan detects PLA aircraft, PLAN vessels

Sharing an update on Twitter, the Ministry wrote: "13 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities."

"4 of the detected aircraft(SU-30, Y-8 RECCE and J-16*2) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated," it said in another tweet. The Ministry also acknowledged China's military drills and assured that the Taiwanese forces "have monitored the situation and responded accordingly with our assets to defend our country." 

China's combat-readiness patrols and exercises follow its serious warning to Taiwan that it will take "resolute and effective measures to safeguard national sovereignty" in response to Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with Kevin McCarthy in the US, where she revealed that her country is facing a serious "threat" to its democracy.