Taiwan’s military has held live-fire artillery drills simulating a defence as China continued the air and naval exercises launched in protest against US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the territory.

Taiwanese officials say drills, which involved soldiers firing howitzer artillery out to sea, had long been scheduled and are not a reaction to China’s unprecedented war games.

Shortly after the drills ended, China’s Eastern Theater Command announced that it was continuing its exercises in the seas and airspace around Taiwan.