Taiwan's presidential office on Monday condemned China's recent military exercises near the island, saying that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region are the joint responsibility of both Taipei and Beijing.
In a statement, the presidential office added that Taiwan's position is very clear in that it will not escalate conflicts or stir up disputes, but will defend its sovereignty and security, he said.
And the Chinese army announced that it conducted combat exercises around Taiwan yesterday, focusing on land and sea attacks, which is the second such exercise in less than a month.
The Chinese army's Eastern Command said - late yesterday evening - that its forces had organized "joint combat readiness patrols and actual combat exercises" in the sea and airspace around Taiwan.
Firmly tackle
And she added - in a brief statement - that the aim of the exercises is to test joint combat capabilities and "firmly confront the provocative actions of external forces and separatist forces demanding Taiwan independence," as the statement put it.
For its part, the Ministry of Defense in Taipei said today that 28 Chinese aircraft entered the Taiwanese air defense zone during the past 24 hours.
China conducted similar exercises late last month, and Taiwan said at the time that 43 Chinese aircraft crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait, which is an unofficial buffer between the two sides.