Taiwan conducts live-fire military exercises
On Tuesday, the Taiwanese army conducted a live-fire exercise, which included a simulation of defending the island.
An AFP correspondent at the scene saw the start of the operation in Pingtung county in southern Taiwan shortly after 00:40 GMT, with flares and artillery fire.
The maneuvers ended around 01:30 GMT, said Lu Wei-jie, a spokesman for Taiwan's Eighth Army.
China launched its largest air and sea military exercises around Taiwan last week, in response to the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island.
On the other hand, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press conference on Tuesday, "Any attempt by armed force to oppose the course of history and reunification will inevitably meet the resolute opposition of the entire Chinese people. It would be an overestimation of capabilities, and an expression of recklessness and failure."
The Chinese army confirmed that its exercises will continue on Tuesday, with the participation of the air force and the navy.
The Eastern Command of the Chinese army said in a statement that it is conducting exercises around the island, focusing on joint operations of siege and support.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news