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BEIJING: China staged military drills off Taiwan's north, south and east coasts on Tuesday (Apr 1) as a "stern warning" against separatism and called Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a "parasite", as Taiwan sent warships to respond to China's navy approaching its shores.

The exercises, which China has not formally named unlike war games last year, are happening after a rise in Chinese rhetoric against Lai and follow on the heels of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's Asia visit, during which he repeatedly criticised Beijing.

China's military deployed ships, aircraft and artillery to practise blockading the island, strikes on ground and maritime targets, and air interception to "test forces' coordination in combat", Beijing's Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement.

Last May, three days after Lai's inauguration, Chinese forces staged war games to simulate seizing full control of areas west of the so-called first island chain and conducted live-fire missile exercises.

China considers democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and calls Lai a "separatist". In a video accompanying its announcement, the Eastern Theatre Command called him a "parasite" in English and depicted him as a green bug held by chopsticks over a burning Taiwan.

Taiwan's government condemned the drills, with the presidential office saying China was "widely recognised by the international community as a troublemaker" and that the government has the confidence and ability to defend itself.

Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.

Two senior Taiwan officials told Reuters that more than 10 Chinese military ships had approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile contiguous zone and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond.

Taiwan's defence ministry said it had not detected any live fire by the Chinese military, but that at least 71 Chinese military aircraft and 13 navy ships were involved. It added it did not know when the drills would end.

Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said Taiwan's armed forces had elevated their readiness level to ensure that China does not "turn drills in to combat" and "launch a sudden attack on us".

China's foreign ministry said the drills "are legitimate and necessary actions to defend national sovereignty and safeguard national unity".

"China's reunification is an unstoppable trend - it will happen, and it must happen" Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson, said at a regular news conference on Tuesday.

Taiwan's stock market brushed off the rise in tensions, with the benchmark index closing up 2.8 per cent on Tuesday.

TAIWAN DISPATCHES WARSHIPS

Taiwan's Defence Ministry said that China's Shandong aircraft carrier group had entered the island's response area on Monday, adding that it had dispatched military aircraft and ships and activated land-based missile systems in response.

The drills took place after Hegseth left the region following visits to Japan and the Philippines, where he criticised China and said Japan was "indispensable" for tackling Chinese aggression.

A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters, citing internal assessments, that Beijing needed to avoid any "perceived confrontation" with Washington prior to the US-China trade talks, and thus Taiwan has become a pretext.

"Taiwan is their best excuse. That's why they chose to launch such military drills as soon as the US defence secretary left Asia," the official said.

The de facto US embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan, said the United States will continue to support the island.

"Once again, China has shown that it is not a responsible actor and has no problem putting the region's security and prosperity at risk," a spokesperson said in a statement.

"CLOSING IN"

China's military released a series of propaganda videos in quick succession after the drill announcement, depicting Chinese warships and fighter jets encircling Taiwan, Taipei being aimed at from above, and military vehicles patrolling city streets.

A video of a poster accompanying the drills titled "Closing In", and showing Chinese forces surrounding the island, was released on the Eastern Theater Command's Weibo.

This was followed by a video titled "Shell", depicting president Lai as a green cartoon bug spawning parasites across the island, on the Eastern Theater Command's WeChat page.

"Parasite poisoning Taiwan island. Parasite hollowing Island out. Parasite courting ultimate destruction," the animation said.

Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said such rhetoric was not conducive to peace and "shows their provocative character," when asked about Lai's cartoon depiction.

A third video, "Subdue Demons and Vanquish Evils", featured Sun Wukong, the magical monkey king from the Ming Dynasty epic "Journey to the West" as he is depicted in the "Black Myth: Wukong" hit video game.

It opens with the video's title flashing across the screen and the Chinese mythical warrior riding on clouds before cutting to footage of Chinese fighter jets.

"The joint exercise and training conducted by the Eastern Theater of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the vicinity of Taiwan Island is a resolute punishment for the Lai Ching-Te authorities' rampant 'independence' provocations," said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office.

Taiwan's Koo told reporters the PLA should focus first on resolving its issues with corruption instead of destroying peace and stability in the region.

China's military has undergone a sweeping anti-corruption purge over the past few years, which saw former Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu ousted in October 2024.

China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Koo's remarks.

The Global Times, which is owned by the People's Daily newspaper of the governing Chinese Communist Party, said the drill had not been given a code name to show that Chinese military forces surrounding the island "has become a normal practice," citing Zhang Chi of National Defence University.

"Through a series of exercises held in the Taiwan Strait in recent years, the PLA has strongly enhanced its ability to prepare for war and fight battles," the article on the paper's Weixin social media page added.