TAIPEI, Taiwan — President Xi Jinping of China made an unusual visit to Fujian province, which borders Taiwan, shortly after military maneuvers that involved a significant mobilization of the country’s navy, air force, missile units, and ground troops. These exercises were designed to mimic a blockade of Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that China claims as its territory and threatens to annex by force.

During his visit to Fujian, Xi did not address the recent military drills, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. His arrival followed China’s unprecedented military activity, which included the deployment of 125 aircraft, along with the Liaoning aircraft carrier and various naval vessels, as part of large-scale exercises taking place around Taiwan and its nearby islands on Monday.

In recent months, Xi has limited his public appearances and foreign visits, although maintaining control over Taiwan is a key objective for his administration as the leader of the Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army.

Taiwan’s newly elected president, Lai Ching-te, has faced harsh criticism from Beijing for his outspoken stance that Taiwan is not part of China. This tension escalated just four days after Taiwan celebrated its National Day, during which President Lai delivered a speech asserting that China has no legitimate claim to represent Taiwan and reiterated his administration’s determination to resist any attempts at annexation or encroachment by the mainland.

Historically, Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule before it was unified with China at the conclusion of World War II. The relationship between the two shifted dramatically in 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government retreated to the island following their defeat by Mao Zedong’s Communist forces in the Chinese civil war, leading to Taiwan’s current status as a separate entity from mainland China.