Taiwan’s defence ministry condemned the drills, saying that it had dispatched forces to areas around the island and was confident it could protect its territory.
“The launch of military exercises on this occasion not only does not contribute to the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, it also highlights (China’s) militaristic mentality,” the ministry said.
A senior Taiwan official, speaking anonymously given the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters that the drills are part of a scenario Taiwan had anticipated and that the island’s government has a “comprehensive grasp” of Chinese military movements.
Taiwanese officials had said in the run-up to the inauguration they were keeping watch for Chinese military movements.
The drills focus on joint sea-air combat-readiness patrols, precision strikes on key targets, and integrated operations inside and outside the island chain to test the “joint real combat capabilities” of the forces, China’s military said.
“This is also a strong punishment for the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces and a stern warning against the interference and provocation by external forces,” the command added.
Chinese state media published a map of the drills zones, in five areas all around Taiwan and the islands Taiwan controls near the Chinese coast.
There was no sign of alarm in Taiwan, where people are long used to Chinese military activity. The benchmark stock index was down 0.3 per cent on Thursday morning.
In August 2022, China launched live-fire military exercises around Taiwan immediately after a visit, much condemned by Beijing, by former United States House speaker Nancy Pelosi. That series of exercises, the scale of which was unprecedented, lasted for four days, followed by several days of additional drills.
