BEIJING: Recent Chinese air and sea drills simulating an encirclement of Taiwan were intended as a 'serious warning' to pro-independence politicians on the self-governing island and their foreign supporters, a Chinese spokesman said on Wednesday.

The three days of large-scale air and sea exercises named Joint Sword that ended on Monday were a response to Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with United States House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week during a transit visit to the US. China had warned of serious consequences if that meeting went ahead.