China Launches Large-Scale Live-Fire Drills Around Taiwan

On December 29, 2025, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) commenced large-scale live-fire military drills encircling Taiwan, deploying naval, air, ground, and missile forces around the island as part of an operation dubbed “Justice Mission 2025.”

These exercises include simulated blockade operations, sea-air combat readiness patrols, and joint maneuvers designed to practice integrated force coordination. The drills take place in multiple designated zones of water and airspace surrounding Taiwan.

What’s Happening Now

China’s Eastern Theater Command says the drills are a stern warning to “Taiwan independence separatist forces” and foreign countries it views as interfering in cross-strait issues. The PLA states that the activities are necessary to defend China’s sovereignty and national unity.

Why China Is Doing This

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its sovereign territory and has repeatedly vowed to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary. The timing of the drills follows weeks of heightened regional tensions, including a recent U.S. approval of a major arms sales package worth more than $11 billion to Taiwan and statements from Japan indicating possible military involvement if China moves against Taiwan.

Chinese officials portray the exercises as routine training and deterrence against separatism and external intervention. Still, many analysts see them as a show of force designed to pressure Taiwan’s government and demonstrate Beijing’s growing military capabilities. The operation marks one of several large drills focused on Taiwan in recent years.

Taiwan’s Response

Taiwan’s government has strongly condemned the drills as a form of military intimidation that undermines regional peace and stability. Taipei’s defence ministry set up a rapid response exercise centre and deployed “appropriate forces” to track and counter the PLA’s movements, including heightened naval and air patrols.

A spokesperson for Taiwan’s Presidential Office described the exercises as a “unilateral provocation” that destabilises the status quo and called on China to cease what it views as irresponsible actions. The defence establishment emphasised its commitment to defending Taiwan’s democracy and freedom in the face of ongoing pressure from Beijing.

Regional and Global Implications

The drills take place within a broader geopolitical context of increasing military engagement in East Asia. China’s show of force near Taiwan coincides with still-recent comments by Japan’s new prime minister suggesting potential military involvement should China attack Taiwan, as well as continued U.S. support for Taiwan’s armed forces.

Analysts caution that repeating these large, joint military exercises — especially those involving simulated blockades and coordinated multi-service training — risks raising the likelihood of miscalculation or unintended escalation in a region already sensitive to provocations. Still, both sides reaffirm their positions: Beijing on asserting sovereignty claims, and Taipei on protecting its democratic system and resisting coercion.

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