Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen says Chinese attempts at what she calls military coercion only strengthen the resolve of the self-governing island republic to defend itself.

Tsai's comments Tuesday follow what the island's defense ministry called a major foray by Chinese military planes into airspace just south of the island on Monday.

That included bombers, fighter jets, and early warning and control aircraft.

Tsai told a security forum in Taipei that such actions "only serve to strengthen our resolve."

China's ruling Communist Party considers Taiwan its own territory, although it has never governed the island, which split from the mainland amid civil war in 1949.

Beijing cut ties with Tsai's government following her 2016 election and has been stepping up military threats and efforts to isolate Taipei diplomatically.