China has launched live-fire drills around Taiwan in what Beijing described as a stern warning against “Taiwan Independence separatist forces and external interference”.
The exercises come less than two weeks after the United States announced an $11.1 billion weapons deal with Taiwan and amid tensions between China and Japan over the self-governing island.
The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command said it moved army, naval, air force and artillery units into five zones surrounding Taiwan on Monday morning. PLA spokesperson Shi Yi said the exercises, code-named Justice Mission 2025, would focus on sea-air combat readiness, blockading key ports and “all-dimensional” deterrence.
“With vessels and aircraft approaching the Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services engage in joint assaults so as to test their joint operations capabilities,” he said.
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“It is a stern warning against ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.”
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Taiwan’s defence ministry said its military was on high alert and was preparing to carry out rapid response exercises designed to move troops quickly in the event of a Chinese invasion. Taiwanese military analysts fear that Beijing’s military exercises around the island are increasingly indistinguishable from preparations for an invasion.
“All members of our armed forces will remain highly vigilant and fully on guard, taking concrete action to defend the values of democracy and freedom,” the defence ministry said.
The government in Taipei said the drills undermined the stability and security of the Taiwan Strait and the Asia-Pacific region. Karen Kuo, a spokeswoman for president William Lai, said the Chinese action was a challenge to international law and order.
“Our country strongly condemns the Chinese authorities for disregarding international norms and using military intimidation to threaten neighbouring countries,” she said.
Beijing imposed sanctions on 20 US arms manufacturers after the Trump administration approved the latest sale of weapons to Taiwan, the biggest such package in the island’s history. It includes 82 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or Himars, one of the weapons systems used by Ukraine against the Russian invasion, as well as self-propelled howitzers and Javelin anti-tank missiles.
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This Chinese military exercise around Taiwan is the sixth since 2022 when former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island. The most recent drill was in April, after Mr Lai described mainland China as a hostile force and introduced tougher security measures directed against Beijing.
Monday’s exercise comes amid heightened tension between Beijing and Tokyo after Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that an attack on Taiwan would justify the deployment of Japanese forces in the island’s defence. Beijing has demanded an apology and discouraged its citizens from visiting Japan, causing a big blow to the tourist industry there.
Mr Lai said on Sunday that Taiwan has to strengthen its own defence capabilities to deter an invasion from the mainland, increasing the cost to Beijing of any aggressive action. US defence officials have claimed that Xi Jinping has told the PLA to be ready for an invasion by 2027.
“If China sets 2027 as the year to be ready for an invasion of Taiwan, then we have only one choice: to keep raising the difficulty so that China can never meet that standard. Taiwan will naturally remain safe,” Mr Lai said.
Taiwan’s legislature voted last week to initiate impeachment proceedings against Mr Lai, accusing him of undermining the self-governing island’s constitutional order and democracy by refusing to sign legislation that would have given local governments a greater share of government revenue.
The impeachment is unlikely to succeed because although the opposition has a majority in the legislature, it does not command the two-thirds majority needed to force the president from office.
