China says military exercise near Taiwan was punishment for 'separatism'

BEIJING, March 17 (Reuters) - China's Taiwan Affairs Office said on Monday that Chinese military exercise near Taiwan was "resolute punishment" for Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's "continuous promotion of separatism."

If the Lai administration "dares to provoke and play with fire, it will only bring about its own destruction," a spokesperson for the office said in a statement.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, a claim rejected by the government in Taipei.