China hold military exercises around Taiwan as independence ‘warning’

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivers a speech during National Day celebrations in Taipei (AP)

China has held large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan and its outlying islands Monday in what it called a warning against Taiwan independence.

China’s Defence Ministry said the drills were a response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s refusal to concede to Beijing’s demands that Taiwan acknowledge itself as a part of the People’s Republic of China under the rule of the Communist Party.