 U.S. begins a show of force against China in Asia. The U.S. is flexing its military might in the Indo-Pacific as Washington seeks to downplay diplomatic tensions with China over meetings between U.S. lawmakers and Taiwanese officials this week. The Defense Department began joint anti-submarine drills with South Korean and Japan and prepped for next week's annual Balikartan exercise in and around the Philippines. The largest version of the drill in the 38 years it's taken place. Combined with a proposed U.S. defense budget that bolsters military competition with China, four new U.S. bases in the Philippines and a trilateral security pact to supply nuclear-powered attacks submarines to Australia, the message from Washington to Beijing carries no ambiguity, according to experts. The message is, the U.S. is determined and prepared to deter any Chinese military adventurism against Taiwan. Yun Sun, director of the Stimson Center's China program, told the Hill outlet. The tension between the superpowers this week center around a meeting Wednesday between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwan President Sai Ing-wen, along with a bipartisan delegation of more than a dozen U.S. lawmakers. The meetup, part of Sai's so-called transit through the United States, is being viewed by China as a show of U.S. support for a self-governed island. Beijing claims as its own territory and has threatened to soon bring under its control. Chinese officials vowed reprisals against Taiwan, also warning that the U.S. was on the wrong and dangerous road. Beijing also sent an aircraft carrier strike group off Taiwan's east coast in what appeared to be a reaction to the visit.