The Chinese military staged a second day of exercises around Taiwan on Wednesday, launching live-fire strikes in the East China Sea and practicing blockade operations near crucial shipping lanes to the east and west of the island.

China's military concluded two-day war games around Taiwan in which it held long-range, live-fire drills in the East China Sea, marking an escalation of exercises around the island.

One analyst called China’s large-scale drills a “pre-invasion operation” as it ramps up attacks on Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, calling him a “parasite.”

Taiwan's defence ministry on Thursday detailed a surge in Chinese military activity as Beijing wrapped up a second day of war games overnight Wednesday, saying it had detected 59 warplanes and 23 navy ships operating around the island.

Ms Zhao, who calls herself “Xiaowei” online, often posts videos featuring a large Chinese flag, saying things such as: “Come on, my fellow Taiwanese, let’s unite and go home together!!!” She is one of three social-media influencers—all of them women from the Chinese mainland who had married Taiwanese men—who were told in March they were no longer welcome to live on the island.

Britain on Wednesday joined the U.S., European Union and Japan in expressing concern over Chinese military exercises around Taiwan, calling for restraint and to avoid actions that undermine peace in the region.

China's military on Wednesday launched military exercises code-named "Strait Thunder-2025A" in the middle and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait, continuing drills begun the previous day. A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters there were more than 10 Chinese warships in Taiwan's "response zone" on Wednesday morning,

China launched its latest round of war games around Taiwan on Tuesday, saying on Wednesday they were code-named "Strait Thunder-2025" and were a "stern warning" against separatism.