TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Live-fire military drills were scheduled to take place near the delta of the Pearl River in Guangdong Province, the Chinese authorities said Friday (April 7).

While the statement made no mention of Taiwan, the drills were seen as part of China’s reaction to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) meeting with United States House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California Wednesday (April 5), the Liberty Times reported.

Because of the live-fire drills, ships were ordered to keep out of a limited area near the delta between Hong Kong and Macau on Friday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

On Wednesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) published a picture of Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong passing through the Bashi Channel before moving into the Pacific east of Taiwan. The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz later also reached the area.