China begins three days of military drills in Taiwan Strait after US speaker meeting

The Chinese military has begun three days of patrols and live-fire drills off the coast opposite Taiwan, saying they are meant as a serious warning against what it called ''Taiwanese separatists in collusion with external forces".

The Taiwan Defence Ministry said in a tweet that it had detected 42 Chinese military planes and eight naval vessels in the area.

The exercises began hours after Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen returned from a trip to the United States, where she met the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.     

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The visit caused anger in Beijing, which claims the self-governing island as its territory. 

On the day of the visit, the Chinese Shandong fleet crossed the Bashi Channel and passed through the southeast waters of Taiwan to start its first voyage training in the Western Pacific.

Chinese maritime authorities have warned ships to keep out of the Taiwan Stait during the drills.