Beijing said the drills - in which it practised blockading the self-ruled island that it claims as its own - were"a serious warning against the collusion and provocation of Taiwan independence separatist forces and external forces".
A senior Taiwan official familiar with China's no-fly move told Reuters that given the potential disruption, Taipei had used"multiple channels" including diplomacy, intelligence and aviation authorities to persuade Beijing to rein in its original plan. The trip infuriated Beijing, prompting days of military drills designed to show it could forcefully take control of the democratic island.
Beijing has continued military activities around Taiwan, despite announcing that three days of drills had ended as scheduled on Monday.