China Conducts Live-Fire Drills Near Taiwan Following High-Level Meeting with US Officials

A Chinese warship began live-fire drills in the seas facing the Taiwan Strait as part of military exercises aimed at pro-independence forces in Taiwan. China views Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. The drills come after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, infuriating Beijing. China's Eastern Theater Command said combat readiness patrols would be conducted around Taiwan for three days as a "serious" warning against pro-independence forces in Taiwan and to safeguard China's territorial integrity.