China holds drills near Taiwan following vice pres.'s U.S. stopovers

China said Saturday that it has conducted military exercises near Taiwan, deploying fighter jets and warships close to the island, in response to Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te's U.S. stopovers on his trip to and from Paraguay.The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese military, which covers the Taiwan Strait, said the exercises serve as "a serious warning against the collusion and provocation of the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and the external forces."Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it has detected a total of 42 Chinese military aircraft since 9 a.m., of which 26 crossed the…READ FULL ARTICLE