China on Tuesday began joint military, naval and missile force exercises around Taiwan as a "stern warning against separatism" and called Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a "parasite".
Meanwhile, Taiwan sent its warships to respond to the Chinese navy approaching its shores.
The exercises around the democratically governed island, which China sees as its territory, come after Lai last month called Beijing a "hostile foreign power".
China considers Lai a "separatist" and, in a video accompanying the announcement of the exercises, he was depicted as an insect held by a pair of chopsticks over a burning Taiwan, calling him in English "a parasite."
"The focus is on exercises such as combat readiness patrols at sea and in the air, taking all-round control, striking naval and land targets, as well as establishing blocking controls in key areas and roads," the Eastern Theater Command said in a statement.
Taiwan's government condemned the drills, with the presidential office saying that China was "widely recognized by the international community as a source of trouble" and that the government has the confidence and ability to defend itself.
The Taiwanese government rejected Beijing's claims to sovereignty, saying only the island's people can decide its future.
Two senior Taiwanese officials told Reuters that more than a dozen Chinese military ships approached Taiwan's territorial waters and that Taiwan sent its own warships to respond.
Taiwan deploys military ships
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong had entered the island's response zone on Monday, adding that it had dispatched aircraft and military ships and activated land-based missile systems to respond.
The exercises took place after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth left the region following visits to Japan and the Philippines, where he criticized China and said Japan was "irreplaceable" in confronting Chinese aggression.
A senior security official in Taiwan told Reuters, citing internal assessments, that Beijing needed to avoid any "perceived clash" with Washington ahead of US-China trade talks, and that Taiwan had therefore become a pretext.
"Taiwan is the best excuse for them. That's why they chose to start these military exercises as soon as the US secretary of defense left Asia," the official said.
The de facto US embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan, said the United States would continue to support the island.
"Once again, China has shown that it is not a responsible actor and has no problem putting the security and prosperity of the region at risk," a spokesman said./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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