The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted joint alert patrol and combat training exercises around the island of Taiwan on Sunday.

A soldier looks through binoculars during combat exercises and training of the navy of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in the waters around the Taiwan island, August 5, 2022. (Photo: Xinhua)

In a statement issued late on the day, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said the move was in response to provocation from external forces and "Taiwan independence" forces.

The joint combat-readiness drills in waters and airspace around the island involved troops of multiple services, and was designed to practice land attack and sea assault, said Shi.

The first such exercises in 2023 came after the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon sailed through the Taiwan Strait on January 5.