On Saturday, the Chinese army began a three-day military exercise in the Taiwan Strait , in an atmosphere of tension with the island, after its president, Tsai Ing-wen, met with Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, in the United States.

Chinese military spokesman Shi Yi said in a statement that the exercises constitute "a solemn warning against the collusion between the separatist forces seeking 'Taiwan independence' and outside forces, as well as their provocative activities."

The Chinese army explained that the maneuvers include "patrols".

And the maritime authorities in Fujian (east) said that live-fire exercises will be held on Monday in the Taiwan Strait near the coast of this province, which is located opposite the island.

Military analyst Song Zhongping warned that these "operational" exercises are aimed at proving that "if provocations intensify," the Chinese army is ready to "finally settle the Taiwan issue."

Taipei saw the maneuvers as threatening "stability and security" in the Asia-Pacific region.

On Saturday, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen condemned China's "authoritarian expansionism", stressing that the island "will continue to work with the United States and other countries (...) to defend the values of freedom and democracy."

The maneuvers come after President Tsai's visit this week to the United States, where she met McCarthy on Wednesday.
Beijing immediately vowed to take "firm and strong measures" in response.

China looks with displeasure at the rapprochement that has been going on for years between the Taiwanese authorities and the United States, which provides the island with important military support, despite the lack of official relations between them.

Beijing considers Taiwan, with a population of 23 million, to be an integral part of China's territory, which it has not yet been able to reunite with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

The United States recognized the People's Republic of China in 1979 and is theoretically supposed to have no official contact with the Republic of China (Taiwan) under the "one China principle" that Beijing defends.

Since Thursday, China has intensified its military pressure on the island by sending warships and aircraft to the Taiwan Strait.
A few days ago, Beijing reinforced the presence of the coast guard in the strait to carry out exceptional patrols.

The exact location of the new exercises has not been determined, except for Monday's live-fire drills, which will be held around Pingtan, the closest point in China to Taiwan.

The narrowest part of the Taiwan Strait between the Chinese coast and the island is about 130 km wide.

On Saturday, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said, during its daily briefing, that it had detected eight warships and 42 Chinese fighters around the island. She explained that 29 of the aircraft crossed the middle line in the Taiwan Strait.

Agence France-Presse journalists in Pingtan on Friday monitored a military ship and at least two military helicopters crossing the Taiwan Strait.

However, it is not clear whether these moves represent an increase in the usual number of Chinese patrols in the area.
Last August, Beijing conducted unprecedented military maneuvers around Taiwan when the then-Democratic Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, visited the island.

But so far, the response to the meeting between Tsai and McCarthy has not been compared to the summer of 2022.

The military maneuvers come a day after French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to China, where he raised the Taiwan issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Elysee said Friday that "the conversation was intense and frank" on this subject.

Xi Jinping told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen Thursday during a meeting in Beijing that "anyone who thinks China will make concessions on Taiwan is delusional," in comments reported by the Chinese foreign ministry.