A real Chinese blockade of Taiwan would be an act of war and have far-reaching consequences for international trade, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday after drills by China last week practiced such a scenario.

Taipei said Wednesday it had detected a Chinese aircraft carrier group sailing towards waters separating Taiwan and China, a day after Beijing held a live-fire exercise near the self-ruled island. China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has ramped up military activity around the island in recent years to pressure Taipei into accepting its claims of sovereignty.

The Taiwan Strait escalated on Wednesday after Taipei reported the detection of a Chinese aircraft carrier group sailing towards the waters separating Taiwan and China. This development comes a day after China conducted live-fire exercises near the self-ruled island,