This comes as Chinese military forces conducted extensive drills around the self-governed island.
Chinese warships and fighter jets encircled Taiwan on the second day of these exercises, which Beijing claims are aimed at testing its capacity to seize the island. The two-day-long war games are perceived as a 'strong punishment' for Taiwan, following the inauguration of its new President, Lai Ching-te, who is viewed in Beijing as a "separatist."
Wu Qian, Beijing's defence ministry spokesman, stated on Friday that Lai "has seriously challenged the one-China principle... pushing our compatriots in Taiwan into a perilous situation of war and danger," He further added, "Every time 'Taiwan independence' provokes us, we will push our countermeasures one step further, until the complete reunification of the motherland is achieved."
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China, which separated from Taiwan 75 years ago following a civil war, considers Taiwan as part of its national territory. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) regularly dispatches navy ships and warplanes into the Taiwan Strait and other areas around the island in an attempt to weaken Taiwan's defences and intimidate its people. However, this week's war games are unprecedented in scale.
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The PLA has released a map of the intended exercise area, which completely surrounds Taiwan's main island, concentrating major firepower at five key points. This includes places like Matsu and Kinmen, outlying islands that are closer to the Chinese mainland than Taiwan.
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The ongoing dispute has long rendered the Taiwan Strait one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints. This week's events have ignited fears that China may resort to military force to bring the island under mainland rule.
The United States, Taiwan's strongest ally, 'strongly' urged China on Thursday to act with restraint. The United Nations echoed this sentiment, calling for all sides to avoid escalation.
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As the drills commenced, China stated they would serve as a strong punishment for the separatist acts of "Taiwan independence" forces. Footage released by China's military showed soldiers rushing to battle stations and jets taking off to a rousing martial tune.
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China has repeatedly labeled Lai a "dangerous separatist" who would bring "war and decline" to the island. In a speech on Thursday, Lai stated he would "stand on the front line" to defend Taiwan, without directly referring to the drills.
Beijing was incensed by his inauguration speech on Monday, in which he hailed a "glorious" era for Taiwan's democracy. The drills are taking place in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south, and east of the island, as well as areas around the Taipei-administered islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin.
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Beijing has stated the drills will last until Friday, but analysts suggest it could choose to extend the war games or launch missiles near Taiwan, as it did after a visit to the island by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022.
Taipei's defence ministry reported that the Chinese military had gotten within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan's main island. Its coast guard reported on Friday that four Chinese vessels entered the 'restricted waters' of two Taiwanese islands as two other vessels nearby provided support.
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Despite the drills happening on their doorstep, life has continued as normal for the 23 million residents of the island, with no overt sign of worry. The Taiwanese have grown accustomed to decades of living with Chinese threats, with residents telling Reuters news agency they would carry on with their lives.
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China's military exercises 'don't really affect our daily lives. We still have to work to make money,' said Chen Sian-en, a tyre repair shop owner in the southern city of Kaohsiung, home to a major Taiwanese navy base.
"From childhood to adulthood, it means that we've gotten used to (China's) threats," said Chen, 66, adding that the drills were "some kind of intimidation tactic" and a "show of force" from Beijing to Taiwan's new leader.
"They've talked about it so many times, but there hasn't been any real action. If they wanted to take over Taiwan, they would have done it already."
While Taiwanese media has covered the drills, a lot of their focus has actually been on continuing protests against efforts by the opposition to push legislative reforms, and occasional fighting by lawmakers on the floor of the chamber.
"I feel no reason to be scared," said Taipei taxi driver Chuang Jun-sung. "If China really attacks Taiwan, there's nothing Taiwan can do but deal with it. But we should still have the guts to fire our missiles back at them."
China has been infuriated by Lai's inauguration speech on Monday in which he said the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are "not subordinate to each other," which Beijing has viewed as implying China and Taiwan are two separate countries.
Kinmen resident Tim Chang, 52, said that Beijing has been threatening war for decades. "If war is bound to happen, if they planned to attack, they would have struck 20, 30 years ago," he said.
Still, Kaohsiung resident Angeline Liao said that she was personally 'very worried' about the drills. "If, hypothetically, there were some military (war) activities today, I think I would be the first one to wave the white flag," she said.
In China, meanwhile, tourists visiting Pingtan - a Chinese island that is the closest point to Taiwan's main island - told AFP news agency that they saw the separation from Taiwan as only a temporary arrangement.
"We share common roots," Chen Yan, a 60-year-old woman from Wuhan in central China, said of Taiwan. "There will definitely be unification," Chen said, adding that she hoped to visit Taiwan.
"Whether it's our mainland government or the Taiwan government, we all hope for peaceful unification as a common aspiration," she stressed.
But, Chen said, China could not "rule out that in the grand scheme of things, we could be forced to (achieve unification) in other ways."
