China's defence ministry said on Thursday that drills which had alarmed Taiwan off its coast were "routine" and the island should stop complaining, as Taipei reported a surge in Chinese military activity,

Taiwans defense ministry reported a surge in Chinese military activity near the island, detecting 45 aircraft and 14 navy ships within 24 hours. Seven ships were spotted in a designated drill zone, 40 nautical miles

The escalation comes a day after Taiwan accused Beijing of conducting live-fire exercises without prior warning in an area about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometres) off its southern coast