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A Taiwanese Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter jet approaches for landing at an air force base in Hsinchu in northern Taiwan on Thursday. | AFP photo

Fighter jets took off from a Taiwan airbase on Thursday as the self-ruled island dispatched aerial and naval forces in response to China鈥檚 launch of military drills, while Taipei鈥檚 coast guard warned off Chinese vessels.

Beijing commenced two days of war games, dubbed 鈥楯oint Sword-2024A鈥�, as a 鈥榮trong punishment鈥� for Taiwan鈥檚 鈥榮eparatist acts鈥�.


They come after the island swore in president Lai Ching-te, who said in his inaugural speech on Monday that Taiwan 鈥榤ust demonstrate our resolution to defend our nation鈥�.

China 鈥� which claims Taiwan as part of its territory 鈥� has denounced Lai鈥檚 speech as a 鈥榗onfession of independence鈥�.

Beijing鈥檚 drills began Thursday morning and are taking place in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of the island, China鈥檚 People鈥檚 Liberation Army said.

In response, Taiwan鈥檚 armed forces dispatched 鈥榓erial, naval and land assets鈥�, Taipei鈥檚 defence ministry said in a statement.

Four fighter jets took off at around 1:00pm (0500 GMT) from a military airbase in Hsinchu, an hour southwest of Taipei.

Taipei鈥檚 ministry of defence said around 8:00pm (1200 GMT) it had detected 49 Chinese fighter jets and air patrol planes around Taiwan since 7:20am 鈥� the highest number of Chinese aircraft observed around the island in a single day so far this year.

The defence ministry said earlier in the day it had detected 15 Chinese warships and 16 coast guard vessels.

The closest they got to Taiwan was about 24 nautical miles, said senior intelligence official Huang Wen-chi, adding that the military has 鈥榥ot detected any use of live ammunition鈥�.

Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said China鈥檚 exercises were 鈥榙estructive鈥� to regional peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

During a visit to a military base, Lai said he would 鈥榮tand on the front line to jointly defend national security鈥�.

鈥楢t this moment the international community is paying a lot of attention to democratic Taiwan,鈥� the president said in a speech that did not directly reference the Chinese drills.

鈥楩aced with external challenges and threats, we will continue to defend the values of freedom and democracy, and safeguard peace and stability in the region.鈥�

Self-ruled Taiwan is separated by a narrow 180-kilometre strait from China, which has said it would never renounce the use of force to bring the island under Beijing鈥檚 control.

Taipei鈥檚 coast guard said it had encountered Chinese ships around the Taiwan-administered outlying islands of Dongyin and Wuqiu early Thursday morning.

Two Chinese coast guard ships had sailed into the 鈥榬estricted waters of Dongyin鈥� at 7:48am, while another was outside the restricted zone to 鈥榩rovide support鈥�, Taipei鈥檚 coast guard said.

The ships left waters off Dongyin 鈥� around 160 kilometres from Taiwan鈥檚 northern tip 鈥� about an hour later.

Another two Chinese ships were detected around Wuqiu, about 130 kilometres from Taiwan鈥檚 western coast, 鈥榚ntering restricted waters鈥�, with a third outside the restricted area, the coast guard said. The vessels left at around 8:45am.

Footage released by the coast guard showed Taiwanese officers ordering Chinese ships to leave over a loudspeaker.

鈥榊our movements affect our country鈥檚 order and safety, please turn away and leave our restricted waters as soon as possible,鈥� an officer said, according to the coast guard video.

The incidents near Dongyin and Wuqiu marked the seventh time this month that Chinese vessels breached Taiwan鈥檚 restricted waters.