BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) – A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday that the joint military drills surrounding the island of Taiwan are legitimate and necessary.

It's completely legitimate and necessary for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army to conduct joint military drills surrounding the island of Taiwan, safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, strongly punish the separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence," and seriously warn against interference and provocation by external forces, said spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a daily press briefing.

He said the drills are fully in line with international law and practice.

Wang said that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. This is not only a historical fact, but also a real status quo. It will never change in the future. "Taiwan independence" leads nowhere. The Chinese people will never waver in their resolve to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

All "Taiwan independence" separatist acts will be hit head-on by more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, and all "Taiwan independence" separatist forces will be hit hard in the face of the historical trend of China's complete reunification, he added.

"We urge the U.S. side to stop emboldening and supporting the 'Taiwan independence' forces and stop interfering in China's internal affairs. Any act that endangers China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity will be resolutely and forcefully counterattacked by China," the spokesperson said.

In response to another query about whether China plans to conduct more "punishment" drills, Wang said each time "Taiwan independence" separatists make waves, it garners stronger effort from China and the rest of the world to defend the one-China principle.

Photo from Reuters