Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned China's dispatch of ships to nearby waters and urged Beijing to immediately stop its "military intimidation."

The ministry on Wednesday announced that multiple Chinese military and government ships have been seen on a daily basis in waters around the so-called first island chain, which refers to the area between Japan's Nansei Islands and the Philippines and encompasses Taiwan. It said the vessels were engaged in military activities.

The ministry demanded that China immediately stop irrational actions that undermine regional peace and stability.

Taiwanese media outlets quote a national security official as saying China has deployed more than 90 vessels around the first island chain over the past few days.

The situation is described as one of the largest maritime military actions since the "Taiwan Strait missile crisis" in 1996.

Taiwan's defense ministry says it has confirmed 53 Chinese military aircraft and 19 vessels in surrounding waters in a 24-hour period through Wednesday morning.

China has been protesting recent stopovers in Hawaii and Guam by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, as well as his phone conversations with key US congressional figures.

It has been reported that China might conduct military exercises around Taiwan.

The foreign ministry says Beijing's actions impact Indo-Pacific nations and is calling on democracies to join Taiwan in maintaining regional peace and stability.