China is conducting a second day of military drills around Taiwan, in what it has called a "stern warning" to the island following a meeting between its president and the US House speaker.
The move sparked condemnation from Taipei and calls for restraint from Washington, which said it was "monitoring Beijing's actions closely".
Taiwan's Defence Ministry said on Sunday that in the past 24 hours it had spotted 71Chinese air force aircraft and nine navy vessels around the island.
Dubbed "Joint Sword", the three-day operation — which includes rehearsing an encirclement of Taiwan — will run until Monday, the People's Liberation Army's [PLA] Eastern Theatre Command said.
China's war games saw planes, ships and personnel sent 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", the army said.
A report from state broadcaster CCTV said: "The task force will simultaneously organise patrols and advances around Taiwan island, shaping an all-round encirclement and deterrence posture."
The report went on to detail the type of weaponry China was putting through its paces, including "long-range rocket artillery, naval destroyers, missile boats, air force fighters, bombers, jammers and refuellers".
Taiwan's top official Tsai Ing-wen immediately denounced the drills, which come after she met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
She pledged to work with "the US and other like-minded countries" in the face of "continued authoritarian expansionism".
In Washington, a State Department spokesperson said the United States had "consistently urged restraint and no change to the status quo", but noted it had ample resources to fulfil its security commitments in Asia.
The US' de facto embassy in Taiwan said that Washington is monitoring China's drills around the island closely and is "comfortable and confident" it has in place sufficient resources and capabilities in the region to ensure peace and stability.
READ MORE:China begins three-day military drills near Taiwan
Live-fire exercises
Exercises on Monday will include live-fire drills off the coast of China's Fujian province, which faces Taiwan.
"These operations serve as a stern warning against the collusion between separatist forces seeking 'Taiwan independence' and external forces and against their provocative activities," said Shi Yin, a PLA spokesperson.
"The operations are necessary for safeguarding China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
China sees Taiwan as its breakaway province and has vowed to take it one day, by force if necessary.
The US has been deliberately ambiguous on whether it would defend Taiwan militarily. It does not recognise Taiwan as an independent country but for decades it has sold weapons to Taipei.
Taiwan split with China in 1949 after a civil war, and the United States broke off official ties with Taiwan in 1979 while formally establishing diplomatic relations with the Beijing government.
The US acknowledges a "one China" policy in which Beijing lays claim to Taiwan, but it does not endorse China's claim to the island and remains Taiwan's key provider of military and defense assistance.
