China launches live-fire drills encircling Taiwan | Taiwan
China has launched real-time military exercises around Taiwan as a warning against “separatist” forces in Taiwan and “foreign interference” by foreign parties.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the military wing of China’s ruling Communist party, said on Monday morning that it had sent naval, air force and rocket forces to encircle Taiwan.
Col Shi Yi, spokesman for the PLA’s eastern theater command, said the exercise, called Justice Mission 2025, was a stern warning against “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and foreign intervention forces.
“This is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.”
On Monday morning, Taiwan’s defense ministry accused Beijing of escalating tensions and undermining regional peace. It “strongly condemned” the activity, saying it had sent “appropriate forces” to respond and conduct combat preparation exercises against itself.
“Defending democracy and freedom is not a provocation, and the existence of the Republic of China is [Taiwan’s formal name] “This is not an excuse for attackers to disrupt the status quo,” the ministry said.
Beijing claims that Taiwan is a Chinese province and is preparing to annex it. According to a report by US intelligence a few years ago, it is undergoing a major military modernization and expansion move with the aim of being able to occupy it by 2027.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its leader Xi Jinping have called on Taiwan to accept “peaceful reunification” using a range of inducements but mostly threats and coercive actions that have intensified in recent years. However, the majority of Taiwan’s parliament and people reject the possibility of CCP rule, and Taiwan is strengthening its own military defense in the resistance.
The PLA’s drills targeting Taiwan, its first since April, come as relations with Japan have been spiraling for weeks after its premier, Sanae Takaichi, said his country would likely intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan. This also follows the US government’s approval of an $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan and recent speeches by Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te pledging to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses and achieve a “high level of combat readiness” by 2027.
All drew angry reactions from Beijing.
China’s eastern theater command said in a statement announcing the exercises: “Ships and aircraft will approach Taiwan Island at close range from different directions to test the troops’ ability to conduct rapid maneuvers, establish an all-dimensional posture, and implement systemic blockade and control.”
The announcement included: Maps showing air and sea areas to avoidIn three large regions around the southern point of Taiwan and two large regions in the north and northwest.
Justice Mission 2025 is the sixth major PLA military exercise targeting Taiwan since it launched major exercises in 2022 in retaliation for then-US speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. In April, Strait conducted a two-day operation called Thunder-2025A, leading to speculation that it would become a “B” before the end of the year.
William Yang, senior Northeast Asia analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Taiwanese national security officials had warned about the possibility of large-scale drills as part of a pressure campaign against Tokyo following Takaichi’s comments. Yang also noted that this is the first major exercise in the second term of US President Donald Trump, who met with Xi in October but did not discuss Taiwan.
Yang said: “Beijing will probably take the US response into account” [to these drills] and carefully determine how the PLA should formulate and plan its military operation.”
