The Eastern Theatre Command said the Just Mission 2025 drills will involve live-fire exercises, in a statement containing a graphic demarcating five zones surrounding the island that will be under sea and air space restrictions for 10 hours.
This marks China's sixth major round of war games since 2022 after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-governed island, and follow a rise in Chinese rhetoric over Beijing's territorial claims after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
"This (the drills) serves as a serious warning to 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces and external interference forces," Shi Yi, a spokesperson for China's Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement.
"The exercise focuses on training for maritime and aerial combat readiness patrols, gaining integrated control, sealing off key ports and areas and conducting multi-dimensional deterrence."
China's military said it had deployed fighter jets, bombers, unmanned aerial vehicles, and long-range rockets, and would practice striking mobile land-based targets while simulating a coordinated assault on the island from multiple directions.
Taiwan's government condemned the drills.
A presidential office spokesperson urged China not to misjudge the situation and undermine regional peace, and called on Beijing to immediately halt what they described as irresponsible provocations.
Taiwan's defence ministry said two Chinese military aircraft and 11 ships had been operating around the island over the last 24 hours, and that Taiwan's military was on high alert and poised to carry out "rapid response exercises."
That particular drill is designed to move troops swiftly in case China suddenly turns one of its frequent drills around the island into an attack.
"All members of our armed forces will remain highly vigilant and fully on guard, taking concrete action to defend the values of democracy and freedom," it said in a statement.
The Chinese military released two posters titled Shields of Justice: Smashing Illusions, and Arrows of Justice: Control and Denial, along with a third graphic depicting four locations across the island with targets locking on, following the drill announcement.
The drills began 11 days after the US announced $US11.1 billion ($A16.5 billion) in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever weapons package for the island, drawing a protest from China's defence ministry and warnings the military would "take forceful measures" in response.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump in November that Taiwan's "return to China" after World War II was central to Beijing's vision of the global order.
Taiwan rejects China's claimed sovereignty, maintaining that only its people can decide the island's future.
with AP
