China conducted military drills around Taiwan for a second day Wednesday, focusing on the Taiwan Strait — a crucial conduit for international trade separating the self-governing island democracy from China.

China staged military drills off Taiwan's north, south and east coasts on Tuesday as a "stern warning" against separatism and called Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a "parasite," as Taiwan sent warships to respond to China's navy approaching its shores.

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.

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,

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Wednesday that in the previous 24 hours it had detected 76 Chinese military aircraft and 15 Chinese military ships operating around Taiwan.

The chip companies in Taiwan, the center of the global supply chain, are expected to face pressure from Washington to invest more in the U.S.

The Taiwan government on Thursday called newly announced US tariff measures "highly unreasonable," vowing to engage in stern negotiations. Responding to US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariff policy,

U.S. partnership is a driver of shared economic prosperity and central to supply chain security and stability in the region, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan said on Thursday after U.S. tariffs were announced.