Beijing (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Taiwan faces increasing pressure as China surrounds the island with live-fire drills simulating port blockades and maritime attacks.
As reported by Helen Davidson of The Guardian, Beijing has launched live-fire military exercises surrounding Taiwan, practicing blockades of major ports, maritime strikes, and countering foreign interference in a warning to the island’s separatist leaders.
How did China’s live-fire drills escalate tensions around Taiwan?
China’s ruling party military, the People’s Liberation Army, announced it deployed naval, air, and rocket units around Taiwan on Monday morning.
Chinese authorities sent coast guard units to carry out “law enforcement inspections” in waters near Taiwan’s outer islands.
In announcing the exercises, China’s Eastern Theatre Command said,
“The vessels and aircraft will approach the Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions to test the capabilities of the troops to conduct rapid manoeuvres, form all-dimensional posture, and execute systemic blockade and control.”
Col. Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, said the military exercise Justice Mission 2025 serves as
“a stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces. It is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.”
Taiwan’s defense ministry on Monday accused Beijing of escalating tensions and threatening regional stability. The ministry said it “strongly condemned” the actions and dispatched suitable forces to conduct counter-combat readiness drills.
It continued,
“Defending democracy and freedom is no provocation, and the existence of the Republic of China [Taiwan’s formal name] is not an excuse for aggressors to disrupt the status quo.”
Taiwan’s coast guard warned that the scale of the exercise
“poses a significant threat to the navigational safety of vessels in Taiwan’s waters and to the operational rights of fishermen.”
The Chinese Communist Party and Xi Jinping have called on Taiwan to accept “peaceful reunification,” combining incentives with increasingly coercive measures and threats in recent years.
Beijing’s first military exercises targeting Taiwan since April come amid rising tensions with Japan, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that Tokyo could intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan.
The move follows US approval of $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, along with recent comments by President Lai Ching-te pledging to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses and achieve “a high level of combat preparedness” by 2027.
China’s statement features propaganda-style videos and maps highlighting restricted air and maritime zones, including three large areas near Taiwan’s south and two more to its north and northwest.
The PLA said it sent ships, fighter and bomber planes, drones, and long-range missiles to practice working together in the sea and air and hitting targets accurately, including submarines and other ships.
The Global Times reported that a propaganda poster depicted flaming arrows targeting Taiwan’s main island, striking green bugs representing separatist forces, while a foreign warship “flees upon witnessing the scene.”
The Justice Mission 2025 marks the sixth major military exercise targeting Taiwan since 2022, following large-scale drills prompted by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit. In April, the force conducted a two-day operation called Strait Thunder-2025A, fueling speculation of a follow-up “B” exercise before the end of the year.
What did William Yang say about the PLA’s anti-access drills?
William Yang, senior north-east Asia analyst for the International Crisis Group, said,
“That is a signal that the PLA is building up their anti-access/area denial capabilities, and publicly declaring it.”
He said Taiwanese national security officials have warned that large-scale exercises could be part of China’s response against Japan following Prime Minister Takaichi’s remarks.
Mr Yang highlighted that this was the second significant PLA exercise during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, noting that his October meeting with Xi did not include discussions on Taiwan.
He added,
“Beijing will likely take into account the response from the US [to these drills] and carefully determine how it should formulate and plan the PLA’s military operation.”
Why does China want Taiwan?
China’s main reason is its official view, called the “one-China principle,” which says Taiwan has always been part of China. This belief is why China wants “reunification.”
Beijing views Taiwan becoming permanently separate, especially if it declares independence or builds stronger ties with other countries, as a serious threat to its sovereignty. It also sees the Taiwan Strait as very important for its naval defense.