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The United States, Japan, the European Union, as well as Taipei, have expressed outrage over the most recent drills, which are anticipated to go till Sunday noon.

Taipei has declined to confirm or deny the flight trajectories, citing intelligence concerns, while Beijing has yet to formally confirm whether missiles overflew the islands during the drills. Japan's defence ministry claimed four of the nine missiles it detected "flew over Taiwan's main island."

In retaliation, China began conducting a number of manoeuvres in various areas close to Taiwan, crossing some of the busiest shipping channels on the planet.

China continued its military exercises encircling the island after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit, according to official media on Friday, during which missiles flew over Taiwan.Pelosi was the highest-profile US politician to visit Taiwan in years, challenging Beijing, which regards the island as its property.