This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The Chinese military conducted blockade drills around Taiwan on Monday, raising alarm from the island nation after its President Lai Ching-te stated last week that Taiwan will resist any attack from Beijing.

According to the Associated Press, China deployed 125 aircraft along with its Liaoning aircraft carrier and ships, sealing off ports around Taiwan.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense said in a statement the military drills were intended to increase pressure on "Taiwan independence" in response to Lai's speech during Taiwan's National Day celebrations held last week.

Wu criticized Lai – who has been labeled a "separatist" by the Chinese Communist Party – saying he is "forgetting their roots and deliberately severing historical ties across the Taiwan Strait," adding Lai is inciting confrontation, hostility, and confusion.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory, and has been increasing its threats of invasion and reclamation under its "one China" policy. The ministry further noted Lai "exposed his true nature" and called Lai a destroyer of peace, and a creator of chaos who will not be tolerated under any circumstances. The ministry stated the actions of Lai will be met with countermeasures.

"Taiwan has never been a country and will never become one … We are using language that 'Taiwan independence' separatists can understand, to make it clear that the pursuit of 'independence' is a dead end," Wu said.

However, Wu stated the drills were not aimed at the Taiwanese people themselves, but noted China would never renounce the use of force against Taiwan.

"We are willing to exert utmost sincerity and make every effort to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force, nor will we leave any room for 'Taiwan independence' … Relevant parties should cease supporting 'Taiwan independence' and stop undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Wu said.

Taiwanese Navy Commander Admiral Tang Hua, told the Economist on Thursday that China is using an "anaconda strategy" to squeeze Taiwan into submission. Tang warns that it is only a matter of time before the drills become a real blockade.

Tang noted the number of Chinese aircraft and ships patrolling Taiwanese waters has doubled since 2020. This includes the Taiwan Strait, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

In response to the increase in incursions, the Taiwanese government has since given the public updates about the number of aircraft and ships operating around Taiwan. Tang told the Economist, however, Taiwan's government chooses not to disclose certain information about the type of ships due to worries about the public losing morale if they were to find out exactly how many – and how close – Chinese military are getting to Taiwan's coastline.

Tang stated the Chinese are putting a tremendous amount of pressure on Taiwan's navy, which must deploy up to 50% of its naval combat vessels to match the Chinese every time they patrol Taiwan, and are hoping Taiwan makes a mistake.