China conducts military exercises in Taiwan Strait

China's Ministry of Defense said the country is carrying out military drills near the Taiwan Strait "to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Spokesperson Ren Guoqiang announced the manoeuvres on Friday at a press conference on the involvement of China's armed forced in UN peacekeeping operations.

Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes all official contact between other countries and the self-governing island.

Ren said the military exercises are "a legitimate and necessary action" in response to the "collusion" between Taiwan and the United States.

Senior U.S. envoy Keith Karch arrived in Taiwan on Thursday to meet Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen, a visit that came one month after the high-profile trip by U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar.

Azar was the highest ranking American official to visit the island since the U.S. switched formal relations from Taiwan to China in 1979.

The visits, welcomed by Taiwan, come at a time when relations between China and the U.S. are increasingly tense.

Beijing condemned the trips saying nothing would be gained by the U.S. and that they were "destined to be a dead end".