China launched massive, live-ammunition military drills encircling Taiwan on Thursday.
Military exercises conducted by the navy, air force and other departments are already underway in six zones surrounding Taiwan, while China's official Xinhua News Agency said the drills were joint operations focused on "blockade, sea target assault, strike on ground targets, and airspace control."
And China's eastern military command confirmed that at around 1 p.m. (0500 GMT) units of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) "implemented long-range fire live firing training in the Taiwan Strait and conducted precise strikes on specific areas in the eastern part of the Taiwan Strait," which separates mainland China from the island.
The show of force around vital international shipping lanes — disrupting 18 international routes, according to Taiwan — comes after a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking politician to visit in 25 years.
In doing so, the United States had defied Beijing's threats of repercussions to the trip.
What we know about the drills
The drills, which are due to end at midday Sunday (0400 GMT), are taking place as close as 20 kilometers (12 miles) to Taiwan's shore at some points.
State-run tabloid the Global Times reported, citing military analysts, that the drills were "unprecedented," with missiles expected to fly over Taiwan.
On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying claimed the maneuvers were "defensive."
"In the current struggle surrounding Pelosi's Taiwan visit, the United States are the provocateurs, China is the victim," she told a regular briefing Wednesday.
Taipei on alert
Taiwan has warned that the planned drills pose a threat to regional security.
"This is an irrational move to challenge the international order," Defense Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang told a news conference Wednesday.
The island's Maritime and Port Bureau issued warning to ships to avoid areas of the military exercises.
Taiwan also reported on Wednesday that 27 Chinese military jets entered its air defense zone.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry said it fired flares to drive away unidentified aircraft, likely drones, that had flown above Taiwan.
Western and regional condemnation
The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned Beijing's "aggressive" drills around Taiwan.
"There is no justification to use a visit as pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait. It is normal and routine for legislators from our countries to travel internationally," Borrell wrote on Twitter.
His remarks echoed that of the G7, which said Beijing's "escalatory response risks increasing tensions and destabilizing the region."
Foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also warned that the standoff could spark "open conflicts."
The situation "could destabilize the region and eventually could lead to miscalculation, serious confrontation, open conflicts and unpredictable consequences among major powers," the ASEAN ministers said in a statement.
