Beijing is conducting military drills around Taiwan to give a warning to the United States and teach a lesson to “Taiwanese separatists,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday. “The measures that we took in response to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s hasty visit to Taiwan are absolutely legitimate and justified,” he pointed out when asked to confirm or deny statements that China was conducting the drills as part of preparations for a military invasion of Taiwan. “It is a warning for instigators and a lesson for Taiwanese separatists,” the diplomat added. (https://en.mehrnews.com/news/190030/China-diplomat-clarifies-goals-of-military-drill-near-Taiwan) The Chinese armed forces launched military exercises involving live firing in six areas around Taiwan the next day after Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. Beijing regards Taiwan as one of its provinces.