UPDATE 1-Taiwan urges China to stop ‘destructive’ military activities

Taiwan's defence ministry on Monday urged China to stop "destructive, unilateral action" after reporting a sharp rise in Chinese military activities near the island, warning such behaviour could lead to a sharp increase in tensions. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has in recent years regularly carried out military drills around the island as it seeks to assert its sovereignty claims and pressure Taipei. The ministry said that since Sunday it had spotted 103 Chinese military aircraft over the sea, a number it called a "recent high".