Encirclement tests. Eight Chinese warships and 42 fighter aircraft are located around the island of Taiwan . It happens on the day of Beijing's announcement of three days of military exercises and after the visit to the United States of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry has expressed "solemn condemnation of such irrational actions that threaten the security and stability of the region."

Tsai returned to Taipei last night after a ten-day mission that took her to Central America and then to the United States, New York and Los Angeles, where she met numerous politicians from the bipartisan Congress.

"We have to contend with China's continued authoritarian expansionism, but we want to continue working with the US and other similar countries to uphold the values of freedom and democracy," Tsai said.

The president's trip has unleashed the wrath of Beijing , which yesterday announced "resolute measures to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Having said that, the military exercises started today. Operations which, reiterated the spokesman of the Eastern Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Shi Yi, "serve as a severe warning against the collusion between separatist forces seeking independence of Taiwan and external ones, and against their provocative activities ".

The military maneuvers initiated today by China, reported the state media in Beijing, " are testing a total encirclement of Taiwan, with patrols and advances around the island, giving shape to positions of encirclement and all-round deterrence ". A video, on the military channel, showed some assets involved between Navy rocket launchers and destroyers, as well as Air Force jets and bombers.

(Unioneonline/L)