China’s Taiwan Affairs Office has described recent military exercises near Taiwan as a “resolute punishment” for what it calls separatist actions by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.
The statement follows an escalation in Beijing’s military activities around the self-governed island, which China claims as its own.
“If the Lai administration dares to provoke and play with fire, it will only bring about its own destruction,” a spokesperson for the office said in a statement.
The exercises involved the Chinese military conducting maneuvers aimed at demonstrating its ability to encircle and blockade the island. Chinese state media reported that the drills were intended as a direct warning to Taiwan’s leadership against further moves toward formal independence.
Taiwan’s government, which rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, condemned the military activity as an act of intimidation. Taipei has repeatedly asserted that Taiwan’s future should be decided by its people, dismissing China’s threats as coercive tactics to undermine the island’s democratic governance.
China has increased its military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, conducting air and naval operations near the island with growing frequency. The latest exercises come amid heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing seeks to assert its influence while Taiwan strengthens its ties with regional allies and the United States.