China launches major drills around Taiwan following record US arms deal

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched exercises around Taiwan immediately after Washington approved its largest-ever arms sale to the island, describing the move as “legitimate and necessary” to safeguard national unity.

Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, stated the drills serve as a warning to “separatist forces” and external interference.

He noted that the exercises, dubbed “Mission of Justice 2025,” were conducted in the waters and airspace north, southwest, southeast, and east of the Taiwan Strait and the main island of Taiwan.

Shi said the drills were carried out by army, navy, air, and rocket forces attached to the Eastern Theater Command.

In a separate statement, the Command announced that live-fire exercises would take place on Tuesday between 8 am and 6 pm.

“This is a stern warning to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity,” Shi said.

He added that the exercises would include combat readiness patrols by air and sea, blockades of key ports and areas, and deterrence beyond the “island chain.”

According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the PLA sent fighter jets, bombers, drones, and other assets to “air and sea areas in the central part of the Taiwan Strait” and tested “precision strike capabilities by conducting drills targeting land-based mobile targets” in coordination with long-range firepower.

The Eastern Theater Command stated that destroyers and fighter jets were also deployed east of Taiwan for scenarios involving strikes on maritime targets, regional air control, and anti-submarine drills.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of China, in line with United Nations resolutions, and aims for reunification, by force if necessary.

Most countries, including the US and Japan, do not recognize Taiwan as an independent state, though Washington continues to supply arms and provide military and material support to the island.

Message to the US

State media characterized Monday’s large-scale drills as a message to both Taiwan and the US.

Major General Meng Xiangqing, a national security expert at the PLA National Defense University, told China Military Bugle, a social media account run by the PLA’s media center, “The People’s Liberation Army has many strategic options to punish independence forces in Taiwan and deter the US. And they can turn this exercise into war at any time.”

According to the South China Morning Post, Fu Zhengnan, an expert at the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, cited “recent frequent collusion between the US and Taiwan, which is extremely serious in nature,” as a primary reason for this week’s drills.

Speaking in a video published on Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account controlled by CCTV, Fu stated that the latest weapons package proposed by Washington for Taiwan consists mostly of offensive weapons, violating US-China joint communiqués signed between 1972 and 1982.

Fu said the arms sale would effectively turn Taiwan’s military system into a “natural extension” of America’s, which would “increase the risk of direct and confrontational conflict between China and the US.”

“Ignoring our repeated warnings, the US and Taiwan have engaged in serious cooperation and provocation,” Fu said, adding that the PLA drills were a “legitimate and legal mandatory response.”

$11.1 Billion arms sale

The exercises took place immediately after Washington approved the arms sale to Taiwan. Beijing described the decision as “blatant interference in China’s internal affairs.”

The US State Department announced on December 17 that it had approved an $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan. This is known as the largest arms sale in the island’s history. The sale requires approval by the US Congress.

The package includes $4 billion for 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and $4 billion for 60 self-propelled howitzers. Also included are “tactical mission” software, Javelin anti-tank missiles, helicopter parts, and kits to refurbish Harpoon anti-ship missiles, totaling $3 billion.

On Monday, the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the US of “militarily intervening in and obstructing China’s reunification” by sending warships to the Taiwan Strait seven decades ago.

In a statement released on social media, it was stated that the US “owes China for China’s complete reunification” and Washington was asked to acknowledge the “serious consequences of arms sales to Taiwan.”

It was stated that conflict with Beijing over Taiwan is “not in the interest of the US,” and Washington was urged to respect China’s “core interests.”

Series of exercises

The PLA’s drills are the second large-scale war games held near Taiwan this year. The PLA previously held large-scale exercises in April immediately after Taiwan leader William Lai Ching-te declared the Chinese mainland a “hostile force” and announced a series of security measures, including re-establishing the military court system in Taiwan.

Meng from the PLA National Defense University said this week’s exercises were conducted in areas vital for key supplies such as energy and civilian transport routes.

He noted that a drill was conducted near Keelung Port and that the PLA could effectively “close off” this strategic port in northern Taiwan.

Meng said PLA activities in the south near Kaohsiung could enable a “pincer movement against [Taiwan’s] most vital military base,” referring to Zuoying, the island’s largest naval base.

He also said exercises were conducted in an area east of Taiwan viewed as a “combat protection zone” to “prevent separatists from escaping while simultaneously blocking outside aid from arriving.”

Reaction to Lai from Taiwan’s main opposition

The Taiwan administration also launched “urban resilience” drills to test its readiness for war under pressure from the PLA.

In a social media post on Monday, the Taiwan administration asserted that it “strongly condemns the PRC’s irrational provocations and opposes the PLA’s actions that undermine regional peace.”

It stated that the Taiwan military was conducting “rapid response drills.”

The island’s opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun, criticized Lai in a radio interview on Monday, saying he “constantly provokes [Beijing] and crosses red lines,” adding that this “will only lead to a dead end, dragging Taiwan’s 23 million people down with him.”

As before, coast guard vessels from the Chinese mainland were also deployed during the PLA drills on Monday. The coast guard released footage showing its ships approaching Taiwan from the north, southwest, and east; several vessels were visible off the east coast.

The Fujian coast guard, located in the mainland province facing Taiwan, said it patrolled waters surrounding Taiwan and near the Matsu and Wuqiu islands, which are close to Fujian but administered by Taipei.