Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have been growing in recent months.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday said Chinese military flights near Taiwan look like "rehearsals" but did not indicate that he expected Beijing to carry out such operations.

Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have been growing in recent months, with Taiwan complaining for about a year or more about Chinese air force flights near the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own.

"I don't want to speculate, but certainly... it looks a lot like rehearsals," Austin said while speaking at a conference in California.

By definition, military training flights are dress rehearsals for future operations.

China conducts drills in response to US

Earlier, following a heated visit to the island by a group of US congressmen, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted a "naval and air force combat readiness patrol" in the Taiwan Strait, according to a spokesperson.

Tensions have risen between Beijing and Washington over the political status of the island of Taiwan, which China considers a part of its national sovereignty.

A delegation of US senators visited the island to express support for the Taiwanese government, while Beijing accused them of seeking independence for the island.

Read more: Cold War Parallels: China-Taiwan Tensions

China conducts drills in response to US