China announces military drills facing Taiwan after warning Pelosi to cancel visit

China said it was conducting military exercises on Saturday off the coast facing Taiwan after warning US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to cancel a possible visit to the democratic island that is not part of Taiwan. Beijing claims it as part of its territory.

Xinhua reported that the ruling Communist Party’s wing, the People’s Liberation Army, was conducting “live-fire drills” near the Pingtan islands off the coast of Fujian province from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. dark. The Maritime Safety Administration warned ships to avoid the area.

Such drills often involve artillery. The one-sentence announcement did not indicate whether Saturday’s drills might also include missiles, fighter jets or other weapons.

Pelosi, who will be the highest-ranking US elected official to visit Taiwan since 1997, has yet to confirm whether she will go. President Xi Jinping warned his US counterpart, Joe Biden, in a phone call on Thursday against “external interference” in Beijing’s dealings with the island.

China says Taiwan has no right to conduct foreign relations. It sees visits by American officials as an incentive for the island to become its decades-old de facto independent officer.

The US Defense Department warned Washington this week not to allow Pelosi, who is equal to Biden at the helm of one of the three branches of government, to visit Taiwan. A spokesman said the PLA would take unspecified “strong measures” to stop its pro-independence activities.

The PLA has sent more and more fighter jets and bombers closer to Taiwan and has in the past fired missiles at shipping routes to the island.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war ended with communist victory over the mainland.

The two governments say they are one country but disagree on national leadership. They have no official relationship but are linked by trade and investment of billions of dollars.