China says Taiwan should not 'interfere' in its air force missions around island

Taiwan should not "interfere" in Chinese air force missions around the island which are taking place in China's airspace, the defence ministry in Beijing said on Thursday, responding to a week of manoeuvres that Taipei has complained about.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory - over the objections of Taipei's government - and its warplanes and warships operate around the island almost daily.

On Monday of this week and Tuesday last week, Taiwan said China had carried out "joint combat readiness patrols" and published pictures of Chinese warships, as well as of Chinese fighters taken by Taiwanese jets.

"Taiwan is a part of China," Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said in Beijing when asked to comment on the patrols. "Our aircraft conduct military activities within Chinese airspace."

"The 'Taiwan independence' armed forces had better refrain from interference and provocation," he added.

China calls Taiwan President Lai Ching-te a "separatist" and has rebuffed his calls for talks. Lai says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

Jiang said China's military will continue to strengthen its training and combat readiness, take actions to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity and "resolutely defeat any separatist activities and external interference."

Taipei is on high alert for further Chinese actions after President Xi Jinping discussed Taiwan with U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing this month.

Taiwan has also reported that China has deployed more than 100 ships up and down the first island chain, an area that stretches from Japan down to Taiwan and into the Philippines.

Over the weekend, Taiwan said its coast guard had faced off with a Chinese coast guard ship near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, which are located at the top end of the South China Sea.

-Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus/Reuters