The Chinese military said on Monday it was dispatching air, navy and rocket troops to conduct joint military drills around Taiwan, a move it called a "stern warning" against separatist and "external interference" forces.

The drills came after Beijing expressed anger at a statement by Japan`s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, that its military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that the world`s second-biggest economy says must come under its rule. But the Chinese military did not mention Japan in its statement on Monday morning.