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TAIPEI/BEIJING, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Taiwan condemned China connected Monday for holding its 2nd subject combat drills astir the land successful little than a month, with the defence ministry saying it had detected 57 Chinese aircraft.
China views democratically-governed Taiwan arsenic its ain territory and has been ramping up military, governmental and economical unit to asseverate those claims.
The Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said its forces held "joint combat readiness patrols and existent combat drills" successful the oversea and airspace astir Taiwan, focused connected onshore strikes and oversea assaults.
The purpose was to trial associated combat capabilities and "resolutely antagonistic the provocative actions of outer forces and Taiwan independency separatist forces", it added successful a little connection precocious connected Sunday.
Taiwan's statesmanlike bureau said China was making "groundless accusations" and powerfully condemned the drills, saying the bid and stableness of the Taiwan Strait and the portion were the communal work of some Taiwan and China.
Taiwan's presumption is precise clear, successful that it volition neither escalate conflicts nor provoke disputes, but volition firmly support its sovereignty and security, the bureau said successful a statement.
"The nation's subject has a adjacent grasp of the concern successful the Taiwan Strait and the surrounding country and responds calmly. Our radical tin remainder assured," it added.
On Monday, Taiwan's defence ministry said that implicit the erstwhile 24 hours it had detected 57 Chinese craft and 4 naval vessels operating astir the island, including 28 craft that flew into Taiwan's aerial defence zone.
Some of those 28 crossed the median enactment of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer betwixt the 2 sides, among them Su-30 and J-16 fighters, portion 2 nuclear-capable H-6 bombers flew to the southbound of Taiwan, a ministry representation showed.
In China's akin exercises late past month, Taiwan said 43 Chinese craft crossed the median line.
China, which has ne'er renounced the usage of unit to bring the land nether its control, has made regular subject incursions into the waters and airspace adjacent Taiwan implicit the past 3 years.
It held warfare games astir Taiwan past August, pursuing a sojourn to Taipei by Nancy Pelosi, past the talker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Taiwan powerfully rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying lone the island's 23 cardinal radical tin determine their future.
Beijing has been peculiarly angered by U.S. enactment for Taiwan, including weapons sales.
Like astir nations, the United States has nary ceremonial diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but it is the island's astir important arms supplier and planetary backer.
Reporting by Sarah Wu and Beijing newsroom; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Clarence Fernandez
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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