"The Eastern Theater Command of the PLA has successfully fulfilled various tasks that were set during the patrols and military exercises near the Taiwan island," Shi said in a statement released on Chinese social network WeChat.
During the drills, China's forces underwent a comprehensive test of the combat readiness in real combat conditions, the military officials stated.
"The forces of the PLA Eastern Theater Command are ready and able to fight at any moment and resolutely counter any forms of separatism supporting Taiwan's independence and attempts of foreign interference," Shi added.
On Sunday, a day after the start of the training, the armed forces of Taiwan registered 70 Chinese aircraft approaching the island with 35 of them crossing the so called median line of the Taiwan Strait and entering Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry also spotted 11 PLA ships in the vicinity of the island.
On Saturday, Shi announced that the Chinese military would conduct exercises and patrols in the sea and airspace around Taiwan from April 8-10, adding that the exercises would serve as a warning for the advocates of the island's independence and a necessary measure aimed at upholding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The situation around Taiwan has recently escalated after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly condemned the contacts between US and Taiwanese officials, calling on Washington to stop upgrading relations with the island.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan — a territory with its own elected government — maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.