Taiwan's defense ministry said on Monday that Chinese military ships and planes were operating around the Taiwan Strait and the Western Pacific.

This comes after China strongly reacted to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's recent stopover in Hawaii and Guam, as well as his phone calls with US congressional leaders. Media reports say China may conduct large-scale military drills around Taiwan.

On Monday, Taiwan's coast guard said it confirmed seven Chinese coast guard vessels around Taiwan, and that the Taiwanese side deployed patrol ships to monitor their activity.

The Taiwanese authorities released photos and video images of the Chinese vessels.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's defense ministry said the Chinese military on Monday set up seven restricted zones in the airspace east of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. The restriction will reportedly last through Wednesday.

The ministry warned that any unilateral and irrational provocative actions could seriously undermine the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.