Taiwan 'confession of independence' spurs China show of force

China encircled Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft in war games yesterday as it vowed that the blood of "independence forces" would flow, stepping up pressure on the island of 23 million people.

The two days of drills come after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan's new president this week and made an inauguration speech that China denounced as a "confession of independence."

China's military said the drills would serve as "strong punishment for the separatist acts."

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin also delivered a warning.

"Taiwan independence forces will be left with their heads broken and blood flowing after colliding against the great ... trend of China achieving complete unification," Wang said.

The drills - codenamed Joint Sword-2024A - involve aircraft and ships surrounding the island, China's People's Liberation Army said.

Taiwan responded by deploying air, ground, and sea forces, with the defense ministry vowing to "defend freedom."

Lai, during a visit to a military base, said he would "stand on the front line." He added: "Faced with external challenges and threats, we will continue to defend the values of freedom and democracy, and safeguard peace and stability in the region."

China has repeatedly branded Lai a "dangerous separatist."

The drills are taking place in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south, and east of the island, and around the Taipei-administered islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin.

China's military posters tout it as "cross-strait lethality."

Taiwan's defense ministry said in a late afternoon press briefing that it had detected 15 Chinese warships and 16 coast guard vessels around Taiwan, while 33 warplanes had "entered our response zone."

The closest distance they got to Taiwan was about 44 kilometers, said senior intelligence official Huang Wen-chi, adding that the military has "not detected any use of live ammunition."

Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said China's exercises are "destructive" to regional peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Taipei's coast guard said it had encountered Chinese ships around the Taiwan-administered outlying islands of Dongyin and Wuqiu early yesterday.

Footage released by the coast guard showed Taiwanese officers ordering Chinese ships to leave over a loudspeaker.

"Leave right away, leave right away!" an officer said, according to the coast guard video.

A Chinese military expert told CCTV that the drills were partly aimed at rehearsing an economic blockade of the island.

The last time China announced military exercises around Taiwan was in August last year after Lai, then vice president, stopped over in the United States.

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