The exercises appear designed to flex Beijing's military muscles in front of Taiwan, the United States and the world.

Here is a rundown of how each of the players have acted:

- China launches war games -

China launched its drills on Saturday after warning of a furious response if Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week in the United States.

The meeting went ahead in California on April 5, when Tsai was on her way back to Taipei from a trip to two of her island's Latin America allies.

Since Saturday, Beijing's jets and ships have carried out training exercises around Taiwan from all sides.

The drills culminated on Monday with simulated attacks using fighter jets carrying live ammunition and a "sealing off" of Taiwan in maritime drills.

They have involved China's Shandong aircraft carrier -- one of two in its fleet -- which had sailed through Taiwan's southeastern waters to the western Pacific hours before Tsai met McCarthy.

In an indication of the magnitude of the games, Japan said Monday it had scrambled jets in recent days as Chinese fighter planes landed and took off from the Shandong in waters near southern Japan and Taiwan.

- US calls for restraint -

After his meeting with Tsai, McCarthy said US arms sales to Taiwan -- which infuriate the Chinese leadership -- would continue, serving as a deterrent against war.

The United States called for China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait as the drills kicked off, but its pleas went unheeded.

On Monday, Washington sent a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Milius, through contested parts of the South China Sea.

Washington said the vessel passed by the Spratly Islands, an archipelago 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) from Taiwan claimed by China, Taipei and several Southeast Asian nations.

"This freedom of navigation operation upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea," the US Navy said in a statement.

China quickly condemned the move, saying the vessel had "illegally intruded" into its territorial waters.

- Taiwan on high alert -

Tsai responded to China's drills by pledging to continue working with the United States in the face of Chinese aggression. Taiwan's defence ministry enacted air, land and sea combat readiness protocols, placing the island on high alert.

Taipei's forces have since carried out defensive air missions to show its capabilities and to prepare for any serious incursion from China's forces.

Taiwan's military was also tracking Chinese ships and planes, and carrying out drills involving its US-made surface-to-air missile systems simulating the tracking of enemy aircraft.

The island's defence ministry released a video showing soldiers loading antiaircraft missile launchers, fighter jets taking off, and other military preparedness exercises.

The 75-second clip ended with a caption saying: "We seek neither escalation nor conflict, but we remain steadfast, rational, and serious to react and defend our territory and sovereignty."