Taiwan's defense ministry has said the drills are an attempt at blockading the island, following Pelosi's overnight trip earlier this week which infuriated China, also on Friday leading it to cancel a series of US-China bilateral talks, including military ties and dialogue.

"After China's actions overnight, we summoned Ambassador Qin Gang to the White House to démarche him about the PRC's provocative actions," White House national security spokesman John Kirby confirmed to the The Washington Post.

The Chinese ambassador was officially informed that the Biden administration "condemned" the ongoing military drills, which have also seen dozens of military jets breach the so-called median line which separates the Taiwan Strait. Chinese state media earlier this week said it has effectively "ceased to exist".