China announces drills around Taiwan after US Speaker meeting

By Reuters April 7, 2023 | 05:05 pm PT

A Navy Force helicopter under the Eastern Theater Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) takes part in military exercises in the waters around Taiwan, at an undisclosed location, August 8, 2022. Photo by Eastern Theater Command/Handout via Reuters

China will hold three days of military exercises around Taiwan starting from Saturday, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command announced, the day after Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen returned from a trip to the United States.

China will hold "combat readiness patrols" and exercises around in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of Taiwan "as planned", it added in a brief statement without offering other details.

Tsai met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy while in Los Angeles in Wednesday, angering Beijing which views Taiwan as its own territory.

There was no immediate response from Taiwan's government.