The People’s Republic of China is launching a massive, live-fire military exercise around the island of Taiwan as tensions between the Communist government and its West-aligned neighbors escalate.
People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command is conducting a training operation dubbed “Justice Mission 2025” — a joint exercise in the Taiwan Strait among the nation’s army, navy, and air force — on Monday and Tuesday.
“The drills will focus on subjects of sea-air combat readiness patrol, joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, blockade on key ports and areas, as well as all-dimensional deterrence outside the island chain,” the Chinese military said Monday.
The statement additionally warned that “for the sake of safety, any irrelevant vessel or aircraft is advised not to enter into the aforementioned waters and airspace.”
Senior Col. Shi Yi, a spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army, explicitly characterized the military action as a rebuke of Taiwanese independence movements and the island’s regional allies.
“It is a stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity,” Shi said.
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry announced on Monday that its national security infrastructure has already detected Chinese activity in the Taiwan Strait, including aircraft and naval ships.
“[Taiwanese] Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed [combat air patrol] aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities,” the defense ministry said.
It said in a separate statement that “The Chinese Communist Party’s targeted military exercises further confirm its nature as an aggressor and the biggest destroyer of peace.”
Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, denies the mainland’s claims to sovereignty over its territory. Republican officials and military leaders fled to the island in 1945 following the Communist Revolution led by Mao Zedong and declared themselves the legitimate successors to historical China.
The majority of member states in the United Nations recognize the People’s Republic as the sole Chinese state. However, the United States and various other West-aligned nations maintain a policy of “strategic ambiguity on the issue of Taiwanese sovereignty — simultaneously withholding recognition while materially supporting the island’s capacity for self-defense.
President Donald Trump approved the sale of a massive weapons package to Taiwan last week, prompting criticism and corporate sanctions from Beijing.
“We stress once again that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations,” the Chinese foreign ministry stated Friday. “Any company or individual who engages in arms sales to Taiwan will pay the price for the wrongdoing.”
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been another thorn in Beijing’s side since last month, when she reaffirmed her country’s willingness to intervene in the event of a hypothetical invasion of Taiwan.
Chinese diplomatic backlash was instantaneous, with one Chinese official based in Tokyo threatening to cut off her head for the disrespect of her comments.
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Takaichi has not backed down from her position, however, and has continued to provoke Chinese officials.
Asked whether she would consider the construction of nuclear submarines, the prime minister promised to “review measures necessary to enhance deterrence and response capabilities without excluding any options.”