The Eastern Theatre Command announced that live-firing operations would continue until 6 pm (1000 GMT) in the airspace and waters of five designated locations surrounding Taiwan. Naval and air force units were practicing strikes on maritime and aerial targets, as well as conducting anti-submarine exercises to the north and south of the democratically governed island.
Titled “Justice Mission 2025,” these drills commenced just 11 days after the US unveiled a record $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan. This marks Beijing’s largest military exercises to date regarding overall coverage and proximity to the island, especially after the Maritime Safety Administration added two new live-fire zones on Monday.
A senior Taiwanese security official informed Reuters that Taipei is monitoring whether this sixth significant round of military exercises since 2022, when then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, will witness China launching missiles over the island, as occurred previously.
According to sources, Beijing appears to be utilizing the exercises to hone its ability to strike land-based targets like the US-manufactured HIMARS rocket system, a mobile artillery unit capable of hitting coastal targets in southern China from a distance of approximately 300 km (186 miles).
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Annually, approximately $2.45 trillion in trade transits the Taiwan Strait, while the airspace above the island acts as a vital corridor connecting China, the world’s second-largest economy, with the rapidly growing markets of East and Southeast Asia.
According to Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Authority, eleven of Taipei’s 14 flight routes will be impacted by the exercises, affecting over 100,000 passengers and leaving only a northeastern corridor to Japan available for commercial flights. Routes to the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu near China’s coastline are currently blocked.
“China is employing various extreme pressure tactics to assert dominance over the entire island chain,” the Taiwan security official remarked. “As one of the world’s most crucial shipping lanes, they aim to reshape the international order to fit their agenda.”
Taiwan’s defense ministry reported that in the 24 hours leading up to 6 a.m. on Tuesday, 130 Chinese military aircraft and 22 navy and coast guard vessels were active around the island, with 90 planes crossing the Median Line that separates the Taiwan Strait.
SHOW OF FORCE
Beijing heightened its rhetoric regarding territorial claims over Taiwan following comments last month by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, which suggested that a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan could elicit a military reaction from Tokyo.
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On Tuesday, Chinese state media continued to disseminate propaganda, including a poster titled “Hammers of Justice,” depicting Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te being struck by one hammer from the south, while another hammers the north.
Chinese newspapers also underscored the inaugural deployment of the Type 075 amphibious assault ship. Zhang Chi, an academic at China’s National Defence University, noted that this vessel can launch attack helicopters, landing craft, amphibious tanks, and armored vehicles simultaneously.
On Monday, the Chinese military published an AI-generated video featuring automated humanoid robots, microdrones, and weaponized robotic dogs in simulated attacks on the island.
Chinese media released maps illustrating the encirclement of the island during the drills and the designated live-fire zones, though Reuters could not immediately verify whether artillery exercises were occurring in all of them.
Taiwan’s defense ministry stated that five of the seven zones delineated by Chinese authorities for live-firing exercises overlapped with Taiwan’s territorial waters, defined as 12 nautical miles from its coast, and that frontline troops have been empowered to counter any incursions by Chinese forces.
CHINA EYES 2027 READINESS TARGET
The Chinese military confirmed on Tuesday that it deployed destroyers, bombers, and additional units for exercises on sea-based assaults, air defense, and anti-submarine operations. The drills were designed to “evaluate the ability of sea and air forces to coordinate for integrated containment and control.”
The Eastern Theatre Command reported on Monday that simulating a blockade of Taiwan’s essential deep-water port of Keelung to the island’s north and Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s largest port city to the south, was a focal point of the exercises.
According to a draft Pentagon report from last week, “China anticipates it will be prepared to engage in a war over Taiwan by the end of 2027,” coinciding with the centenary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army, a significant milestone in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s military modernization efforts.
However, Xi’s extensive anti-corruption campaign within the military has raised questions about its operational readiness. The Chinese leader dismissed eight generals from the PLA due to corruption issues in October, and reports indicate that revenue at China’s defense firms fell by 10% last year, despite three decades of increasing military budgets.
Nonetheless, the Pentagon report noted that Beijing is contemplating the possibility of executing strikes up to 1,500-2,000 nautical miles from China to seize Taiwan through “brute force” if necessary.
