Xi calls on the armed forces to prepare for 'real combat'.

RT - Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the country's armed forces to prepare for real combat, national media reported Wednesday. The remarks came days after Beijing conducted large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, which reportedly involved simulating precision strikes on the self-governed island.

Addressing military personnel at a naval base in southern China on Tuesday, Xi called for strengthening "military training geared towards real combat," as quoted by state broadcaster CCTV.

The Chinese leader reportedly named the defense of Beijing's "territorial sovereignty and maritime interests," as well as the protection of "overall peripheral stability," as the Navy's primary mission.

On Saturday, China launched three days of military exercises codenamed 'United Sharp Sword' near Taiwan.

According to the Taiwanese Armed Forces, nine warships and approximately 71 aircraft were detected in the area the following day.

Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), described the ships and aircraft as "surrounding" the island. He clarified that the exercises aimed to warn "against collusion between separatist forces seeking 'Taiwan independence' and external forces and against their provocative activities."

The military movements occurred after a visit by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to the United States last week, when she met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy.

The meeting was the second time Tsai had sat down with a U.S. House Speaker in less than a year. McCarthy's predecessor, Nancy Pelosi's, visit to Taiwan last August angered Beijing, which responded with its largest-ever military exercises in the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan has been de facto independent since 1949, when the losing side in the Chinese Civil War fled to the island and established its own administration. Although only a handful of nations recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, the U.S. has long maintained close, unofficial ties with Taipei, both militarily and economically. Formally, Washington still professes adherence to the 'One China' principle.

Beijing considers the island an inalienable part of its territory that was seized by separatists and accuses the US of interfering in its internal affairs and encouraging "secessionist" politicians.

Although the Chinese leadership says it prioritizes peaceful "reunification," it has not ruled out military options.