Taiwan condemns China's 'shooting' drills off southwest coast

China's military has set up a drill zone for "shooting training" about 40 nautical miles (74 km) off Taiwan's southwest coast without prior notification, the island's defence ministry said on Wednesday, condemning the move as a provocative and dangerous.

Democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activities, including several rounds of full-scale war games over the past three years.

Taiwan's defence ministry said that starting shortly before 9am (0100GMT) it had detected 32 Chinese military aircraft carrying out a "joint combat readiness drill" with Chinese warships in the Taiwan Strait area.

"During this period it even blatantly violated international practice by setting up a drills area in the waters about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Kaohsiung and Pingtung without prior warning, claiming that it would carry out 'shooting training'," the ministry said.

The training endangers the safety of international flights and shipping and is a "blatant provocation" to regional peace and stability, the ministry said in a statement, adding that it had dispatched its own forces to keep watch.

There was no immediate confirmation from China that it was carrying out any new drills around Taiwan.