Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news conference on Thursday that the joint exercises are completely in line with international law and practices and are entirely legitimate and necessary.

Wang stressed that "Taiwan is an indivisible part of China's territory, which is both historical fact and the real status quo", saying that the fact will never change and "Taiwan independence" is a dead end.

He warned that "any separatist acts for 'Taiwan independence' will be met with resolute and powerful strikes from the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, and all separatist forces for 'Taiwan independence' will be crushed in the face of the historical trend of complete reunification of China."

Previously, the Chinese military conducted two separate rounds of exercises around Taiwan after the visit to Taiwan by then United States House speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022, and former island leader Tsai Ing-wen's stopover in the US in 2023.

The exercises this time have included some islands that are to the north of Taiwan island and quite close to the mainland, said Zhang Junshe, a former researcher at Naval Research Academy. "This represents a further expansion and breakthrough in the exercise area and further squeezes the space for 'Taiwan independence' activities," he added.

According to a China Media Group report, after receiving instructions, multiple fleets of Navy destroyers from the Eastern Theater Command swiftly maneuvered in various directions toward the waters near Taiwan.

Zhang said the exercises aim for achieving comprehensive control of a battlefield, which would include control of the sea, air and electromagnetic spectrum, adding that they have also demonstrated that the PLA is able to precisely strike targets.

This is absolutely a punishment and a warning to figures like Lai, warning them against further promoting separatist activities for "Taiwan independence", he said.