China begins military drills around Taiwan as 'strong punishment' for separatist acts

The country has started military drills with navy vessels and aircraft.

This comes after Lai Ching-te took oath as the self-ruled President of the island.

Calling Lai as a "dangerous separatist", China claims Taiwan as a part of the country.

The drills will take place from Thursday to Friday.

As per a report by Xinhua, The drills focus on joint sea-air combat-readiness patrol, joint seizure of comprehensive battlefield control, and joint precision strikes on key targets, Li said, adding that the exercises involve the patrol of vessels and planes closing in on areas around the island of Taiwan and integrated operations inside and outside the island chain to test the joint real combat capabilities of the forces of the command.

The spokesperson said the drills also serve as a strong punishment for the separatist acts of "Taiwan independence" forces and a stern warning against the interference and provocation by external forces, Xinhua reported.

China split with Taiwan, which is located at the junction of the East and SouthChina Sea in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, after the end of the 1949 civil war.

But China considers Taiwan as a part of the country and gives efforts to get unified with the democratic island.