China says military activities in Taiwan Strait are targeted at 'separatists', 'external forces'

China said its military activities in the Taiwan Strait were targeted at "separatists" in Taiwan and "external forces".

"[We] have made full preparation in addressing the separatist activities of Taiwan independence and the interference of external forces," South China Morning Post quoted Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian, as saying.

He made the response to a question about the speculation that the recently commissioned first Type 075 amphibious assault ship could be deployed near Taiwan.

Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.

Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war.

China has recently has commissioned three warships, including a large amphibious assault ship, adding them to the fleet covering the South China Sea.

The Global Times newspaper, which is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, reported that the ships were the country's first Type 075 amphibious assault ship, a large destroyer, and a nuclear-powered strategic ballistic missile submarine.

Countries like Japan and the US have spoken about the need for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Early this month, in their first in-person meeting at the White House, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden said in their joint statement that they "underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait" and "encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues."

Beijing, on the other hand, reacted sharply to the statement and expressed firm opposition to Washington and Tokyo's demand for a 'stable' Taiwan strait.

A spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in the US has once again reiterated Beijing's defence of its aggression and gross human rights violations as "internal affairs".

( With inputs from ANI )