Taipei, (AFP) - Taiwan will this week hold live-fire military exercises to simulate defending the island in the event of a Chinese invasion, officials said Monday, while Beijing is conducting new exercises around the island.

"We will rehearse the enemy's attacks on Taiwan," Lu Wuwei-ji, spokesman for the Eighth Corps, told AFP.

Taiwan's military said island forces will rehearse handling landings on Tuesday and Thursday in the southernmost region of Pingtung.

Hundreds of soldiers and about 40 howitzers will be deployed to conduct the exercises, according to the same source.

The self-governing democratic island lives under constant threat of Chinese invasion as China considers its neighbor part of its territory to be reclaimed one day, by force if necessary.

On Monday, Beijing continued joint air and sea military exercises, which it launched in the wake of the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei last week, defying appeals to put an end to these exercises that have been going on for a few days in the vicinity of Taiwan.

Lu said the Taiwanese exercises were scheduled and were not a response to the ongoing Chinese exercises.

The island regularly holds simulated military exercises to fend off a possible Chinese invasion and last month included repelling attacks from the sea in a "joint interception operation", as part of its largest annual exercise.

In recent days, China has been accused of simulating a blockade and invasion of the main island of Taiwan during its maneuvers, which were due to end Sunday.

Beijing denounced the visit of Pelosi, the most senior elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, and suspended a series of talks and cooperation agreements with Washington, especially in the areas of climate change and defense.