The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China on Monday launched “Justice Mission 2025,” a series of live-fire military drills around Taiwan simulating a blockade of the independent island-nation as a purported “warning to separatist forces.”
According to PLA Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Shi Yi, 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 to the north, southwest, southeast, and east of the Taiwan strait.
“With vessels and aircraft approaching Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services engage in joint assaults to test their joint operations capabilities,” Shi said, and added that it is a “stern warning against “Taiwan Independence separatist forces and external interference, and a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.”
Taiwan Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter jet takes off at Hsinchu Air Base in Hsinchu on December 29, 2025. China launched “major” military exercises around Taiwan on December 29, in what it called a “stern warning” involving live-fire drills in waters and airspace near the island. (CHENG Yu-chen / AFP via Getty)
The regime of the Chinese communist party maintains a policy known as the “One-China principle,” which falsely claims the sovereign nation of Taiwan is a province of China.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry immediately condemned China’s “irrational provocations,” accusing the PLA of undermining regional peace through its actions.
“Rapid Response Exercises are underway, with forces on high alert to defend the Republic of China and protect our people,” the Taiwanese Defense Ministry announced through social media.
The Taiwanese Ministry also posted a video with dual-language captions that read, “Security cannot be based on illusions, nor can it be decided by others. We choose to be prepared to defend ourselves.”
PLA reportedly released two posters for the military drills through Chinese social media platforms over the past hours.
The first one is reportedly titled, “Shield of Justice, Smashing Illusion” and depicts massive shields blocking military equipment from entering Taiwan. According to the Chinese state-owned Global Times, the second poster is titled,
“Arrow of Justice, Control and Denial,” and reads, “Three-dimensional precision firepower—an arrow storm that crushes separatists and repels the enemy.”
The drills mark the sixth major round of “war games” that PLA, the military wing of the Chinese communist regime, has held since 2022 and come less then two weeks after the United States approved the sale of an $11 billion arms package to Taiwan, which includes HIMARS rocket systems, howitzers, anti-tank missiles, drones and other equipment.
The South China Morning Post reported that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian, referring to the U.S. arms package deal to Taiwan, said on a Monday morning press conference that “External forces using Taiwan to contain China and arming Taiwan would only embolden ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists and push the Taiwan Strait towards danger.”
“Any act of provocation that crosses the line on the Taiwan question is bound to be met with resolute countermeasures from China,” Lin said, answering to an NHK reporter who asked about the “external interference forces” mentioned by the Chinese military as one of the goals of the drills.
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