China Sends ‘Serious Warning’ With Military Drills After Taiwan’s US Visit

China issued a stark warning to Taiwan by conducting military drills around the island on Saturday after Taiwanese Vice President William Lai’s recent U.S. visit. 

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Party (PLA) prepared naval and air forces to carry out joint combat-ready patrol and training exercises, according to Colonel Shi Yi, the spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA.)

Shi Yi said in a statement on Saturday that the drills included focusing on ship-aircraft coordination, control of the battlefield, and testing troops’ combat capabilities. 

"This is a serious warning against the collusion and provocation of the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and the external forces," Shi Yi warned.

By Saturday morning local time, 42 Chinese aircraft and 8 ships participated in the drills around Taiwan, according to the Taiwanese defense ministry. Taiwan deployed its own naval vessels and aircraft in response as it monitored the situation, the defense ministry said on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

China’s drills came after Lai made brief stopovers in the U.S. while he was on his way to Paraguay to attend President-elect Santiago Pena’s inauguration. Last weekend, he met with Taiwanese citizens living in New York City and met his supporters in San Francisco before returning to Taipei on Friday.

Lai, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, is considered the frontrunner in Taiwan's next presidential election in January. He has been repeatedly criticized by China which has called him a "separatist" and a “troublemaker.”

China claims and maintains that democratically governed Taiwan is its own territory, while Taiwan has maintained its independence and has had a separate government from mainland China since 1949. 

Taiwan’s sovereignty continues to be part of the ongoing tensions between China and the United States. The U.S. has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and does not support its independence, but is a key ally and arms supplier.