TAIPEI, Jan 7 - China's war game exercises around Taiwan last week were part of a campaign to counter growing international support for the island and an attempt to divert attention away from Beijing's economic troubles, Taiwan's top security agency said on Wednesday.

As part of its exercises, called "Justice Mission 2025," China fired dozens of rockets towards Taiwan and deployed a large number of warships and aircraft near the island. That caused dozens of domestic flights in Taiwan to be cancelled and drew concern from allies in the region and the West.