Communist China carried out assault drills near Taiwan on Tuesday and Wednesday, with warships and fighter jets exercising off the southwest and southeast of the island in what the the regime’s armed forces said.

Taiwan, which Beijing claims as Chinese territory, has complained of repeated People’s Liberation Army drills in its vicinity in the past two years or so, part of a pressure campaign to force the island to accept China’s sovereignty.

In a brief statement, the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command said warships, anti-submarine aircraft and fighter jets had been dispatched close to Taiwan to carry out joint fire assault and other drills using actual troops.

It did not give details.

A senior official familiar with Taiwan’s security planning told Reuters that China’s air force had carried out a “capturing air supremacy” drill, using their advanced J-16 fighters.

In addition to seeking air supremacy over Taiwan, they have also been conducting frequent electronic reconnaissance and electronic interference operations, the person said.

Taiwan believes Communist China is trying to gather electronic signals from U.S. and Japanese aircraft so that they can paralyse reinforcing aircraft including F-35s in a war, the source said, referring to the U.S.-operated stealth fighter.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said 11 Chinese aircraft entered its air defence zone, including two nuclear-capable H-6K bombers and six J-16 fighters, and that it had scrambled jets to warn China’s planes away.

While the Communist China's statement gave no exact location for the drills, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said the aircraft flew in an area between mainland Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands at the top part of the South China Sea.

Some of the aircraft also briefly entered the strategic Bashi Channel off southern Taiwan that leads to the Pacific, according to a map provided by the ministry.

Communist China repeated a part of the drill also on Wednesday afternoon.