China begins large-scale military exercises in the Taiwan Strait aimed at training a "complete encirclement" of the island. The drills are driven by anger over Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Beijing considers Taiwan, with a population of 23 million, an integral part of China's territory and has not yet been able to reunite it with the rest of its territory. Taiwan has seen the drills as a threat to stability in the Asia-Pacific region.