China conducted large-scale military drills around Taiwan on Monday, involving a record 153 aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, along with warships and Coast Guard vessels.

The exercises simulated a blockade of the island, with 111 warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s Median Line and entering Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

Taiwan condemned the drills as an “unreasonable provocation” and responded by deploying its own military assets.

China’s drills, described as a warning to Taiwan’s independence movement, followed a speech by Taiwan’s president reaffirming the island’s sovereignty, CNN has reported.

The drills did not violate Taiwan’s sovereign airspace but marked an escalation in China’s military pressure on the island.

Written by B.C. Begley