BEIJING -- A mainland spokesperson on ?? ??? ??Wednesday said drills conducted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) near the Taiwan island are a deterrent to "Taiwan independence" separatist plots and foreign interference.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a regular press conference that the drills are a "necessary and just move" to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Chen stressed that the Democratic Progressive Party authorities and "Taiwan independence" forces, in collusion with external forces to seek independence and provoke confrontation, are the root cause of tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

He added that any attempt to seek "Taiwan independence" by force or to seek external support for the independence agenda is a dead end.

"We have the firm will, full confidence and sufficient capability to thwart any form of 'Taiwan independence' separatist attempts," the spokesperson said.