Taiwan says multiple Chinese aircraft and vessels spotted in possible simulated attack

Chinese military helicopters fly past Pingtan island, which lies between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, on August 4 ahead of military drills in the Taiwan Strait.

Hong Kong (CNN)Taiwan says it detected "multiple" Chinese aircraft and naval vessels taking part in military drills around the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, in what could be a possible simulated attack against the island.

The ministry said some of the aircraft and vessels had crossed the sensitive median line in the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from the Chinese mainland.

"Our military has broadcast warnings, deployed combat air patrol and naval vessels and activated land-based missile systems in response to the situation," said the ministry.

The statement did not specify exactly how many Chinese aircraft and vessels were detected.

The Chinese military has not yet issued a statement on the purpose of Saturday's exercises.

The news follows a series of military drills that China has carried out around Taiwan since Thursday after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to the self-governing democratic island earlier this week.

The Chinese Communist Party views Taiwan as its territory, despite never having controlled it, and has long vowed to "reunify" the island with the Chinese mainland -- by force if necessary.

Pelosi ignored its furious opposition to her visit by landing in Taipei on Tuesday evening as part of a larger Asia tour that wrapped up Friday with a last stop in Japan.

But the full ramifications of her visit are only now emerging, with China ramping up military exercises in the skies and waters around Taiwan and halting cooperation with the US on various issues.

On Friday, 68 Chinese warplanes were reported in the Taiwan Strait, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry. Of those, 49 entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone -- a buffer of airspace commonly referred to as an ADIZ. That was just a few planes short of the record set last year when 56 Chinese warplanes entered the ADIZ on the same day.

Nineteen of the warplanes on Friday also crossed the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait, the ministry said.

On Thursday, China launched 11 ballistic missiles -- some of which flew over the island of Taiwan and landed in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, prompting Tokyo to lodge a formal complaint with Beijing. That was the first time China had sent missiles over the island.

Also on Thursday, two Chinese drones flew near Japan's Okinawa prefecture, prompting Japan's Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets in response.

The drills are scheduled to last until Sunday local time in Beijing, according to Chinese state media.

Diplomatic fallout

The deteriorating situation in the Taiwan Strait has caused a diplomatic storm, with China lashing out against countries that have criticized its exercises and some regional powers calling for de-escalation.

Tensions ran high at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting of foreign ministers in Cambodia this week, where members had originally expected to discuss three main topics: the Myanmar crisis, the South China Sea, and the war in Ukraine.

But Pelosi's visit to Taiwan added "a fourth hot stone ... which has led to heated discussions about cross-strait relations," said Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn at a Saturday news conference in Phnom Penh.