China began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan on Tuesday 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 coast.
The exercises around the democratically governed island, which China views as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring under its control, come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month.
China detests Lai as a "separatist," and in a video accompanying the Eastern Theater Command's announcement of the drills depicted him as cartoon bug held by a pair of chopsticks above 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, seizing comprehensive control, striking maritime and land targets, and imposing blockade controls on key areas and routes," the Eastern Theater Command said in a statement.
Taiwan's government condemned the drills, with the presidential office saying China was "widely recognized 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 (44 km) contiguous zone and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond.
However, Taiwan has not detected any live fire by the Chinese military, one of the officials said.
TAIWAN DISPATCHES WARSHIPS
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said in a statement 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 US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth left the region following visits to Japan and the Philippines, where he criticized 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 defense 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 Defense 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 Defense Minister Li Shangfu ousted in October 2024.
China's defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Koo's remarks.
The Taiwan security source, citing internal intelligence assessments, said China was trying to busy its military with exercises as a way of distracting and stopping its soldiers from discussing the corruption crackdown amongst themselves on base.
China's coast guard said it was also taking part in the drills, saying it was simulating "inspection and capture, interception and detention operations against unwarranted vessels" to show its exercise of "legitimate jurisdiction" over Taiwan.
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 Defense 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.
China has staged several rounds of war games around Taiwan since then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in 2022.
