BEIJING, Aug 14 — China's Defence Ministry has dismissed Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military drills as a "wasteful charade" that "stoked war panic", in Beijing's first official comment on the 10 days of war games since they began last week.
Taiwan, a democratically governed island that rejects China's sovereignty claims, began the exercise last week, as Beijing ramps up its military presence around the island.
The exercises rehearsed various scenarios should China ever make good on threats to seize the island by force, including how to break a maritime blockade and, for the first time, slow the mobile Internet.
"The so-called 'Han Kuang exercise' has always been a posturing, wasteful charade. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities have also recklessly stoked war panic, accelerating efforts to turn cities into battlefields and push ordinary people to the front lines," Defence Ministry spokesman Chen Xi said in a statement, referring to Taiwan's ruling party.
He added that China's People's Liberation Army remains on high alert and is fully prepared, continuously enhancing its real-combat capabilities to "counter separatism and external interference".
"This remains the solid trump card for safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Chen said.
While China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, it says it would prefer "peaceful reunification".
Taiwan's government says only the island's people can decide their future, and regularly criticises China's pressure campaign.
The Chinese military operates almost daily in the skies and waters around Taiwan.
