China Says Will Not be Soft on Taiwan Independence Activities

In a statement responding to a question on Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's recent visits to Hawaii and the US territory of Guam and whether or not China has held drills, China's defence ministry offered neither confirmation nor denial, though cryptically said "tactics and currents are always changing", according to Reuters.

"Whether or not to hold exercises and when to hold them is a matter for us to decide on our own according to our own needs and the situation of the struggle," it said.

"Regardless of whether or not exercises are held, the People's Liberation Army will not be absent and will not be soft in its fight against independence and for reunification."

Any reliance on "foreign forces to seek independence" - the usual wording China uses to warn the United States off supporting Taiwan - will be severely punished and is "doomed to failure", the ministry added.

Late Thursday, Taiwan's defence ministry said it has disbanded its emergency response centre, signalling an end to the current round of Chinese military activities.

On Friday morning, the ministry said it had only spotted 12 Chinese military aircraft operating nearby in the past 24 hours, down from 34 reported the previous day.

Taiwan's coast guard also said on Friday that nine Chinese coast guard ships which were off the island's southeast and southwest coasts had headed northwards after carrying out "undue" activities in recent days.