 "A woman works in a noodle store near a television screen showing a news report on China's \"Justice Mission 2025\" military drills around Taiwan, in Taipei, Taiwan. Reuters")
Days before we bid adieu to 2025, tensions between China and Taiwan increased significantly on Monday as Beijing launched live-fire military drills around Taipei.
The exercise, named Justice Mission 2025, was “a stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces”, said a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) eastern theatre command, Col Shi Yi.
The latest show of force by China follows a bumper round of arms sales to Taiwan’s by the United States. It also prompted a strong condemnation from the self-ruled island nation.
As the drills continue, we take a closer look at previous Chinese military exercises around Taiwan.
China’s war games around Taiwan
On Monday, China’s PLA sent naval, air force and rocket forces to surround Taiwan. The Chinese Coast Guard also said it was launching patrols in waters around Taiwan.
According to Senior Colonel Shi Yi of the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, the military activities were focused on “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”.
Chinese authorities also published a map of five large zones around Taiwan where further live-fire activities would take place from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm (0000 to 1000 GMT) on Tuesday. “For the sake of safety, any irrelevant vessel or aircraft is advised not to enter the afore-mentioned waters and airspace,” they said in a statement.
According to Taiwan, a record 89 Chinese military aircraft had been recorded near its shores on Monday — the highest number in a single day since October 2024. The ministry also said it had detected 28 warships and coastguard vessels.
It also condemned Beijing’s actions, saying that the drills by China “further confirm its nature as an aggressor, making it the greatest destroyer of peace”.
China’s previous military drills around Taiwan
Monday’s military drills are part of an ongoing effort by China to exert its ‘One China’ policy. In fact, military drills such as the one on Monday have become quite a regular feature — the most recent being held in April, saying it was a “stern warning” against separatism.
In 2024 too, China launched a barrage of military drills against Taiwan. The first, dubbed Joint Sword-2024A, came last May shortly after Lai Ching-te’s inauguration as president. Later, in October, China China held one day of “Joint Sword - 2024B” war games around Taiwan in response to a national day speech by Lai. Taiwan said China used a record number of military aircraft in those exercises.
And last December 2024, Taiwan reported a large rise in Chinese air force and navy activity around the island and in waters in the region, though China never officially confirmed it was holding exercises.
In August 2023, Taiwan was on edge again when China launched military drills as a “serious warning” to “separatists” in an angry but widely expected response to then-Vice President Lai’s visit to the United States.
Similar activity also took place in April 2023 for three days after Taiwan’s then-President Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with Kevin McCarthy, who at the time was US House speaker. At that time, Beijing said they had tested integrated military capabilities under combat conditions, having practised precision strikes and blockading the island.
China also held several days of war games around Taiwan in August 2022. This angry reaction came following then US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. During the games, China launched ballistic missiles, some of which flew over Taipei, and simulated sea and air attacks in surrounding skies and waters.
Prior to this, in 1996, ahead of Taiwan’s first direct presidential elections, China carried out missile tests in waters close to the island, hoping to prevent people voting for Lee Teng-hui, whom China suspected of harbouring pro-independence views. However, Lee won convincingly.
With inputs from Reuters