The drills were the latest show of force by China, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has protested Western support for the island.

China is holding live-fire drills off the coast of its southern Fujian province that faces Taiwan. The new exercises Tuesday are taking place just a week after China held a massive air-and-sea drill it called punishment for Taiwan’s president rejecting Beijing’s claims of sovereignty.

China’s military is practicing putting a choke hold on Taiwan – a strategy that defense experts increasingly believe could be an effective alternative to a full-scale invasion.

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Tuesday that live fire Chinese drills in a province facing the island are part of routine annual drills but also possibly part of China's "deterrence effect" in the waters of the Taiwan Strait.

China held a live-firing exercise from its territory closest to Taiwan one week after it launched a large-scale drill encircling the island. Chinese military drills off the Taiwanese coast have intensified in recent years as its claims over the self-governed island have grown.

China’s military actions are a form of shock and awe. They are designed to unleash fear among the Taiwanese population and bully the island’s international supporters into inaction. China’s lawfare is a silent killer,

A real Chinese blockade of Taiwan would be an act of war and have far-reaching consequences for international trade, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday after drills by China last week practiced such a scenario.

Taiwan’s imports of liquefied natural gas could be vulnerable if China someday imposed a blockade, the archipelago’s defense chief said — highlighting the concern Beijing’s military activity is raising in Taipei.

China is conducting live-fire military drills off the coast of its southern Fujian province in a show of force aimed at Taiwan.