BEIJING (Kyodo) -- China said Tuesday it has launched military drills around Taiwan that serve as a "stern warning and forceful deterrence" against those seeking the island's independence, ratcheting up tensions and slamming the territory's leader Lai Ching-te for his government's "blatant provocations."

The military's Eastern Theater Command, which covers the Taiwan Strait, said it has organized its army, navy, air and rocket forces to close in on the island from multiple directions.

The drills are mainly focused on blockading key areas and sea lanes, achieving comprehensive superiority, and launching assaults on maritime and ground targets, it said.

The command said the exercises are a "legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China's sovereignty and national unity." China's Taiwan Affairs Office also said the drills are a "resolute punishment" for the government of Lai, whom Beijing condemns as a separatist.

Lai pledged last month to reinstate the island's military court system to prevent Beijing's infiltration and espionage activities against Taiwan's armed forces. At that time, the president categorized the mainland as a "foreign hostile force."

A video released by the command showed a Chinese vessel sailing in the sea, warplanes taking off and a missile being put into launch position.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for China's Taiwan office, criticized Lai for "brazenly labeling the mainland as a 'hostile external force'" and inciting anti-Beijing sentiment. Taiwan independence "means war" and pursuing it means "pushing the people of Taiwan into a perilous situation," she said.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said a naval formation led by the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong entered the island's response zone on Monday and the territory has dispatched warplanes and vessels as well as activated missile systems to monitor and respond to mainland military activities.

Over the 24 hours through 6 a.m. Tuesday, 19 Chinese naval vessels were detected around Taiwan, the ministry added.

Lai's office strongly condemned China's military exercises for escalating tensions, openly challenging the international order and undermining regional security and stability. Beijing is recognized by the international community as a "troublemaker," spokeswoman Karen Kuo said in a statement.

The Taiwan president had instructed defense departments to respond to the drills, she said, adding that the government has the "confidence and ability" to protect the people and maintain social stability.

Japan has conveyed to China its concern over the military drills, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. "The peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait is extremely important for the international community," he told a Tokyo press conference.

The China Coast Guard also said Tuesday it had conducted law-enforcement patrols around Taiwan. In March, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian officially acknowledged that mainland military activity near Taiwan had "become the norm."

Last year, China conducted large-scale military drills encircling Taiwan twice. Lai took office in May 2024.

In a move that might be related to the military exercise, a mainland national seeking to illegally enter Taiwan-controlled Kinmen, an island located just off the Chinese coast, on a rubber dinghy was apprehended by Taiwan authorities shortly before Beijing announced the start of the drills, the island's coast guard said.

China Coast Guard vessels also entered waters near Taipei-held remote islands Tuesday morning, it added.

Communist-led China views Taiwan as a renegade province to be brought into its fold, by force if necessary. The democratic island and the mainland have been governed separately since they split in 1949 after a civil war.