Chinese military drills near Taiwan
China has started three days of military exercises around Taiwan after the island’s President met the US House Speaker in defiance of repeated threats by Beijing.
China's calling the drills, “United Sharp Sword,” have been denounced by Taiwan. China sees Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control.
It says they're meant to be "a serious warning against the Taiwan separatist forces", who it claims are colluding "with external forces."
Shortly after the announcement, Taiwan said it detected 42 Chinese warplanes over the Taiwan strait, which separates the island from China's mainland.
