On Tuesday, China began a second day of live-fire drills outside Taiwan with the goal of mimicking attacks on marine targets and a blockade of the self-ruled island's main ports.
Taipei denounced the two-day war simulations, code-named "Justice Mission 2025," as "military intimidation" when they started on Monday.
China has refused to rule out using force to take control of the democratic island of Taiwan, claiming it as part of its sovereign territory.
At approximately 9:00 am (0100 GMT) on Tuesday, AFP journalists in Pingtan, a Chinese island that is the closest point to Taiwan's main island, witnessed a barrage of rockets shoot into the air, trailing trails of white smoke.
At least ten rockets were fired, seconds apart, and as they flew across the sky, each one made a loud noise that reverberated throughout Pingtan.
With their phones out to take pictures and videos of the rockets, tourists hurried to wooden barricades with a view of the ocean.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) released the following statement shortly after: "At 9:00 am, December 30, the ground forces of the PLA Eastern Theater Command conducted long-range live fire drills in the waters to the north of the Taiwan Island and achieved desired effects."
The most recent display of force comes after the United States, Taiwan's primary security ally, sold Taipei a large number of weapons, and the prime minister of Japan stated that any use of force against Taiwan may prompt a military retaliation from Tokyo.
China will "forcefully counter" significant US arms shipments to Taiwan, the country's top diplomat declared Tuesday in Beijing. "In response to the continuous provocations by pro-independence forces in Taiwan and the large-scale US arms sales to Taiwan, we must of course, resolutely oppose and forcefully counter them," Wang Yi, the foreign minister, said in a speech. Any attempt to prevent China and Taiwan from unifying "will inevitably end in failure," he continued.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te pledged that the region would not be "escalating the conflict" or inciting unrest.
A day prior, his office claimed that China had demonstrated a "disregard for international norms and the use of military intimidation to threaten neighboring countries."
The deployment of destroyers, frigates, fighters, and bombers "to conduct drills on subjects of identification and verification, warning and expulsion, simulated strikes, assault on maritime targets, as well as anti-air and anti-submarine operations" was announced by China on Tuesday morning.
The drills in the waters north and south of Taiwan Island "tested capabilities of sea-air coordination and integrated blockade and control," according to a statement from the PLA's Eastern Theater Command.
The exercises are "a stern warning against 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces, and a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China's sovereignty and national unity," according to military spokesman Shi Yi on Monday.
A "blockade" of important Taiwanese ports, such as Keelung in the north and Kaohsiung in the south, was one of the exercises' main themes, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
A map of the five sizable areas surrounding Taiwan where the war simulations would be held was released by Chinese authorities. On Tuesday, they are scheduled to conclude at 6:00 p.m. (1000 GMT).
Taiwan claimed that international maritime and aviation routes had been impacted by China's authorized exercise zones, some of which are within 12 nautical miles of its shore.
In the 24 hours ended at 6:00 am (2200 GMT on Monday), the island's defense ministry reported on Tuesday that it had found 130 Chinese military aircraft close to the island, along with 14 Chinese naval ships and eight unidentified government vessels.
According to Taipei's defense ministry, the Communist Party's drills "further confirm its nature as an aggressor, making it the greatest destroyer of peace" in China.
A poster detailing the drills on Tuesday was produced by Beijing's military, which featured strong arms with tattoos of Chinese flags wielding hammers and hitting Taiwan Island's north and south.
The last time China's military conducted extensive live-fire training near Taiwan was in April; Taipei denounced the surprise maneuvers.
Following Taiwan's announcement that the US had authorized a significant $11 billion military deal, Beijing declared this month that it would take "resolute and forceful measures" to protect its sovereignty.
Last week, it imposed new sanctions against 20 U.S. defense businesses that seemed to have little to no business in China. AFP correspondents in Pingtan witnessed a Chinese military vessel in the distance and two fighter aircraft flying across the sky on Monday afternoon.
