MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. China has the right to conduct military exercises, including in response to numerous provocations over Taiwan, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"In a very short period of time we have witnessed many actions that were provocative toward the People's Republic of China. And, of course, China has the sovereign right to respond to these provocative actions in various ways, including by conducting military exercises in strict compliance with international law," Peskov said.

He stressed that "everyone should respect the right of China, as well as other countries, to act in this way."

Beijing had previously announced that military exercises would be conducted on April 8-10 in the Taiwan Strait and north, south and east of the island, under the codename Joint Sword. In parallel, patrols around Taiwan are due. According to Shi Yi, the spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, this is "a serious warning in response to provocations" by Taiwan's separatist elements and the outside forces supporting them.

The exercise is being held against the backdrop of a "transit" trip by the head of Taiwan's administration, Tsai Ing-wen, through the United States. On Wednesday, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, held a meeting with Tsai. After that, the US side said it was necessary to continue selling weapons to Taiwan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed a protest, saying Beijing would take effective and decisive reciprocal measures.

Taiwan, China's largest island, has been governed by its own administration since 1949, but Beijing considers it as an integral part of the unified country. Washington remains Taipei's main supplier of weapons and military equipment.