China directs an explicit threat against those who support Taiwan's independence. This is reported by several media.
"Taiwanese independence forces will have their skulls crushed and blood will flow," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.
On Thursday, China began a two-day military exercise in the Taiwan Strait involving aircraft and ships. The exercise is described as large-scale and simulates an attack on Taiwan.
From Taiwan, fighter jets have taken off in response to the Chinese exercise, and naval and ground forces have been activated, TT writes.
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China begins military exercise in which Taiwan will be "surrounded"
China has started a two-day military exercise in which Taiwan will be "surrounded".
Similar exercises have been carried out before, but according to observers, China is going further this time as a full-scale attack is simulated, writes the BBC.
In recent years, China has increased the pressure on Taiwan. The exercise is still seen as primarily political and is seen as a warning to newly elected president Lai Ching-Te, who is loathed by China.
Taiwan has condemned the exercise, calling it an "irrational provocation".
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"The political signals are stronger than the military ones"
There is no sign of concern in Taiwan over the large military exercise that China is starting today, reports Reuters. The news agency notes that people are used to Chinese military activities.
Su Tzu-yun, of Taiwan's top security policy think tank, says the exercise is intended to demonstrate China's ability to control the sea and prevent foreign forces from interfering.
- The political signals here are greater than the military ones, he says.
BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes writes that the exercise was met with a shrug on the streets of Taiwan. He assesses that many are actually afraid but feel powerless.
"The government and the military are significantly more worried, not least because the exercises are getting bigger and more dangerous every year."
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