China says its military activities around Taiwan are 'reasonable, justified'

China's regular military activities around Taiwan are "entirely justified and reasonable" and any tensions are the fault of the government in Taipei, the Chinese defence ministry said in a rare comment on Friday.



China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, sends its warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around the island on an almost daily basis, to the condemnation of the Taiwanese government.



China generally does not provide regular commentary on its daily activities near Taiwan.



Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang told reporters that Taiwan was an "inalienable part of Chinese territory".



"The People's Liberation Army organises training and exercise activities in the waters and airspace around the Taiwan island to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is entirely justified, reasonable, and a matter of course," he said.



It was Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party which "distorts" Chinese activities, "peddling war anxiety, intimidating the people on the island, and stoking confrontation and antagonism across the Taiwan Strait", he added.