China Launches Major Live-Fire Military Drills Around Taiwan

Reuters

Screenshot from a video released by the PLA showing helicopters on an amphibious assault ship taking part in the military drills.

China has launched large-scale live-fire military exercises around Taiwan, simulating a blockade of major ports, attacks on maritime targets, and the defence against potential international “interference”. Beijing described the operation as a warning to what it called “separatist” forces in Taiwan.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) – the armed wing of China’s ruling Communist Party – deployed its navy, air force, rocket force, and coastguard around Taiwan on Monday morning in a surprise exercise dubbed “Justice Mission 2025”, which began less than an hour after its announcement.

According to the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, the drills involved destroyers, frigates, fighter jets, bombers, drones, and long-range missiles operating “in close proximity” to Taiwan. The stated objective was to test “sea-air coordination and precise target hunting and neutralisation”, including simulated strikes on submarines and other maritime targets.

By Monday afternoon, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence reported detecting 28 navy and coastguard vessels, including two that entered Taiwan’s contiguous zone. It also counted at least 89 warplanes — the highest daily number in more than a year — and observed a formation of four amphibious assault ships about 160 nautical miles west of Taiwan’s southern tip.

Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, said the drills were “a stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces”. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian accused unnamed “external parties” of “pushing the region closer to war”, warning: “Any sinister schemes to obstruct China’s reunification are doomed to fail.”

In response, Taiwan condemned Beijing’s actions, accusing China of escalating tensions and threatening regional stability. The ministry said Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed “appropriate forces” to monitor and respond, carrying out corresponding combat-readiness exercises.

“Defending democracy and freedom is no provocation, and the existence of the Republic of China [Taiwan’s official name] is not an excuse for aggressors to disrupt the status quo,” the ministry said.

Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under Chinese control. According to previous US intelligence assessments, the PLA aims to have the capability to invade by 2027.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and President Xi Jinping continue to call for “peaceful reunification”, but the vast majority of Taiwan’s public and political representatives reject any form of CCP rule. In turn, Taiwan has been strengthening its military defences to deter possible aggression.

Maps released by Chinese authorities indicate that the current exercises cover a larger area than previous drills, with some zones overlapping Taiwan’s 12-nautical-mile territorial boundary. Taiwan’s aviation authorities reported that more than 850 international and domestic flights, carrying over 100,000 passengers, would be affected on Tuesday due to the airspace restrictions.

Justice Mission 2025 marks the sixth major PLA military exercise targeting Taiwan since 2022, when Beijing staged extensive live-fire drills in retaliation for the visit of then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Earlier this year, in April, the PLA conducted a two-day operation dubbed “Strait Thunder-2025A”, fuelling expectations of a follow-up exercise before year’s end.

Source: The Guardian



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