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China deployed warships, fighter jets and artillery around Taiwan on Monday for large-scale military exercises that officials said would simulate blockades of the island's major ports, drawing condemnation from Taipei and raising fresh concerns about regional stability.
The drills, code-named "Justice Mission 2025," mark Beijing's sixth major round of war games near Taiwan since 2022 and come less than two weeks after the United States approved an $11.1 billion arms sale to the self-governed island—the largest weapons package in history for Taiwan.
The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command said it concentrated forces to the north and southwest of the Taiwan Strait, conducting live firing and simulated strikes on land and maritime targets. Chinese authorities announced the exercises would continue Tuesday with operations focused on sealing off Taiwan's deep-water ports in Keelung to the north and Kaohsiung to the south.
"This serves as a serious warning to 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces and external interference forces," said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Theatre Command.
Island's defense authorities condemned what it called China's "military intimidation" and established a response center while deploying forces for what it termed rapid response exercises. The ministry posted video on social media showcasing U.S.-made HIMARS rocket systems, highly mobile artillery with a range of approximately 300 kilometers that could strike coastal targets in China's Fujian province across the strait.
A senior Taiwan security official told reporters that dozens of Chinese military boats and aircraft were operating around the island, with some deliberately approaching Taiwan's contiguous zone—defined as 24 nautical miles from its coast. Taiwan's coast guard dispatched large vessels to counter Chinese coast guard activity near its waters.
The island's aviation authority said China had designated a temporary danger zone in Taipei's airspace for 10 hours of live-fire drills scheduled for Tuesday, prompting officials to identify alternative flight routes.
Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo said the drills demonstrated China's "disregard for international norms and the use of military intimidation to threaten neighboring countries."
Military analysts say Beijing's increasingly frequent drills blur the distinction between routine training and preparations for an actual assault—a strategy designed to minimize warning time for the United States and its allies.
The Chinese military released promotional materials titled "Shields of Justice: Smashing Illusions" and "Arrows of Justice: Control and Denial," along with graphics depicting targeted locations across Taiwan. One poster appeared to show civilian vessels with ramps and open decks that could support an amphibious assault.
"Any foreign interference that touches the shield of justice shall perish," read one poster. "Any separatist scoundrels who encounter the shield shall be destroyed."
China's state broadcaster reported that exercises would focus on deterring outside military intervention—the first time the PLA has publicly stated that drills around Taiwan aim to discourage foreign involvement.
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The military exercises follow rising tensions after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in recent weeks that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo. The remarks prompted Beijing to summon Japan's ambassador and warn Chinese citizens against traveling to Japan.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping told U.S. President Donald Trump in November that Taiwan's "return to China" after World War II was central to Beijing's vision of the global order.
Taiwan stock markets appeared unaffected by the drills, rising 0.8 percent to a record high in morning trading. Some Taipei residents expressed skepticism about the exercises' significance.
"I think these drills are just meant to scare us," said Lin Wei-ming, a 31-year-old teacher in the capital. "Similar drills have happened before."
Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims over the island, maintaining that only its people can decide their future. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has refused to rule out using military force to achieve reunification with the island democracy of 23 million people.
China has not fought a major military conflict since 1979 and has never conducted an amphibious assault on a major scale, though its military modernization efforts over the past two decades have significantly enhanced its capabilities in the Taiwan Strait.
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