China says military exercises encircling Taiwan mark ‘serious warning’

A fighter takes off during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around the Taiwan Island (Xinhua via AP)

Recent Chinese air and sea drills simulating an encirclement of Taiwan are intended as a “serious warning” to pro-independence politicians on the self-governing island and their foreign supporters, a Beijing spokeswoman said.

The three days of large-scale air and sea exercises named Joint Sword that ended on Monday were a response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US house speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week.