China begins three days of military training exercises in the Taiwan Strait.

China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday, in what it called a "stern warning" to the self-ruled island's government. Dubbed "United Sharp Sword", the three-day operation will send planes, ships and personnel into the maritime areas and air space of the Taiwan Strait, off the northern and southern coasts of the island, and to the island's east. Taiwan's defence ministry released a video showing soldiers loading anti-aircraft missile launchers, fighter jets taking off, and other military preparedness exercises. Live-fire Exercises on Monday will include live-fire drills off the coast of China's Fujian province, which faces Taiwan. China views democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to seize it one day, by force if necessary.

Eight Chinese warships and 42 fighter jets were detected around the island on Saturday. The Taiwanese ministry has expressed "solemn condemnation of such irrational actions", including 29 jets that crossed into Taiwan's southwestern air defence identification zone (ADIZ), the highest number in a single day this year. The drills follow the departure from Beijing of French President Emmanuel Macron and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who were in China to urge Xi Jinping to help bring an end to the war in Ukraine. China deployed warships, missiles and fighter jets around Taiwan last August in its largest show of force in years, following a trip to the island by Nancy Pelosi. There were no immediate signs of heightened military activity on Pingtan, a southeastern Chinese island that is the closest point on the mainland to Taiwan.

China's sovereignty and territorial integrity will never be divided, and the future of Taiwan lies in reunification with the motherland. Song Zhongping said the exercises were intended to demonstrate that the Chinese army will be ready if "provocation intensifies" to "solve the Taiwan issue once and for all".