China calls punishment of pro-Taiwan independence diehards reasonable

China's Taiwan affairs office said on Thursday punishment of pro-Taiwan independence diehards and external forces was reasonable and lawful, amidst raised tensions in the Taiwan strait following U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taipei visit.

Taiwan is not a 'regional' issue but China's internal affair, the Beijing-based Taiwan affairs office added, as the country's military embarks on targeted military drills in a number of zones surrounding Taiwan.

On Wednesday a suspected Taiwanese separatist was detained by state security in East China's Zhejiang province on suspicion of endangering national security, state media reported.