China’s military has launched 10 hours of live-fire exercises around Taiwan, as US President Donald Trump played down the seriousness of the latest large-scale manoeuvres. “They’ve been doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area,” Trump said. “Now people take it a little bit differently.”

China launched 10 hours of live-firing exercises around Taiwan on Tuesday, the second day of Beijing's largest-ever war games around the island, aimed at swiftly cutting its links to outside support in the event of a conflict.

The Chinese military says it dispatched air, navy and missile units to conduct joint live-fire drills around Taiwan to warn against what it calls separatist and “external interference” forces.

China’s decision to bring serious firepower to bear for military drills in the waters off Taiwan this week has deep roots both in the past several weeks and the past several decades

Russia has issued a strong warning on Taiwan as global power rivalries sharpen. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow firmly opposes Taiwanese independence, calling the island an integral part of China.

China announced largely symbolic sanctions against 20 US defense companies and 10 executives, signaling its anger over Washington’s latest arms sales to Taiwan while stopping short of a broader escalation.

An annual assessment of Beijing’s military strength concludes China can increasingly threaten U.S. territory.