China launched its most extensive war games around Taiwan yesterday to showcase Beijing’s ability to cut off the island from outside support in a conflict, testing Taipei’s resolve to defend itself and its arsenal of US-made weapons.
The Eastern Theatre Command said it had deployed troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery for its “Justice Mission 2025” exercises to encircle the democratically governed island, conduct live fire and simulated strikes on land and sea targets, and drills to blockade Taiwan’s main ports.
The live-firing exercises will continue today across a record seven zones designated by China’s Maritime Safety Administration, making the drills the largest to date by total coverage and in areas closer to Taiwan than previous exercises.
The military had initially said artillery firing would be confined to five zones.
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said there was also an extra zone for a two-hour drill yesterday morning, which took place without a Chinese announcement in the eastern waters of the island.
The Transport Ministry said more than 100,000 passengers on scheduled international flights will be affected by today’s drills, while around 80 domestic flights are set to be cancelled.
China’s sixth major round of war games since 2022, after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the democratically governed island, follows stronger rhetoric promoting Beijing’s territorial claims in response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
Taiwan rejects China’s claimed sovereignty, maintaining that only its people can decide the island’s future.
“Our armed forces operate on the principle of preparing for the worst and must take every possible scenario into account,” Hsieh Jih-sheng, deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence at Taiwan’s defence ministry, told reporters, when asked about today’s drills.
“Conducting live-fire exercises around the Taiwan Strait ... would not only constitute military pressure on us, but could also pose more complex challenges and impacts for the international community and neighbouring countries.”
The exercises began 11 days after the US announced $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever weapons package for the island, drawing a protest from China’s defence ministry and warnings the military would “take forceful measures” in response.
The Chinese military also released a video depicting automated humanoid robots, microdrones and weaponised robotic dogs attacking the island, futuristic technology China has never showcased before.
Taiwan’s government condemned the drills, while its defence ministry posted a video on Facebook showcasing various weapons, including US-made HIMARS rocket systems, a highly mobile artillery system with a range of about 300km that could hit coastal targets in China’s southern province of Fujian, on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, in the event of a conflict.
The island’s coast guard said it had deployed large ships to face off against Chinese coast guard vessels near its waters and was coordinating with the military to minimise the drills’ impact on maritime routes and fishing grounds.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said 89 Chinese military aircraft, 14 military vessels and 14 coast guard boats had been operating around the island on Monday, while four additional warships were also spotted in the Western Pacific.
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