China says Taiwan encirclement drills a ‘serious warning’

BEIJING (AP) — China says recent air and sea drills simulating an encirclement of Taiwan were intended as a “serious warning” to pro-independence politicians on the self-governing island and their foreign supporters. Spokesperson for the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office Zhu Fenglian told reporters at a biweekly briefing Wednesday that the three days of air and sea exercises were a response to recent “provocations” and were necessary to “safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary. The large-scale drills that ended Monday were retaliation for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week during a transit visit to the U.S.