The United States is “deeply concerned” about the joint military drills China has conducted around Taiwan in recent days, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement issued May 25. China launched two days of military drills encircling Taiwan on May 23, in an act of retaliation following the inauguration of Taiwan’s democratically-elected president Lai Ching-te, an advocate of Taiwanese independence. “The United States is deeply concerned over the People’s Liberation Army joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan,” Miller’s statement read. Miller sai…