China's military moved army, naval, air force, and artillery units around Taiwan on Monday for its "Justice Mission 2025" drills, as the island vowed to defend democracy and mobilized troops to rehearse repelling a potential Chinese attack.
The Eastern Theatre Command announced on Tuesday that the drills will include live-fire exercises, in a statement that includes a graphic showing five zones surrounding the island that will be under sea and air space restrictions for 10 hours from 8:00 a.m. (0000 GMT).
This marks China's sixth major round of war games since 2022, after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the democratically governed island, and follows a rise in Chinese rhetoric over Beijing's territorial claims after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
The drills began 11 days after the US announced $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever weapons package for the island, drawing a protest from China's defense ministry and warnings that the military would "take forceful measures" in response.
Beijing's drills increasingly blur the line between routine military training exercises and what analysts say could be stage-setting for an attack, a strategy intended to give the US and its allies minimal warning of an assault.
China's military said it had deployed fighter jets, bombers, unmanned aerial vehicles, and long-range rockets, and would practice striking mobile land-based targets while simulating a coordinated assault on the island from multiple directions.
"This (the drills) serves as a serious warning to 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces and external interference forces," said Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Theatre Command.
Taiwan's government condemned the drills. A presidential office spokesperson urged China not to misjudge the situation and undermine regional peace, and called on Beijing to immediately halt what they described as irresponsible provocations.
The island's defense ministry said two Chinese military aircraft and 11 ships had been operating around the island over the last 24 hours, and that Taiwan's military was on high alert and poised to carry out "rapid response exercises."
That drill is designed to move troops swiftly if China suddenly turns one of its frequent island drills into an attack.
"All members of our armed forces will remain highly vigilant and fully on guard, taking concrete action to defend the values of democracy and freedom," it said in a statement.
Taiwan's stock markets were unaffected by the drills, with the market up 0.3% to a record high in morning trading.
Israel strengthens links to Taiwan
Israel can also be mentioned as one of the nations that has made contact with Taiwan in the last couple of months, mainly through diplomatic and military channels.
At the beginning of December, Taiwan's high-profile Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu made a previously unpublicized visit to Israel, three sources familiar with the trip told Reuters.
Taiwan also unveiled its new “Taiwan Dome” missile shield at the center of a dramatic military buildup, unveiling plans for a multi-layered air and missile defense system that President Lai Ching-te says is directly inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome and the United States’ planned “Golden Dome” project.
Lai announced that his government will submit a special defense budget of around 40 billion dollars (1.25 trillion Taiwan dollars) spread over eight years, from 2026 to 2033, to help fund the so-called Taiwan Dome, drones, missiles, and other advanced systems, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency and reports in Reuters and Channel News Asia.
In October, the Chinese embassy in Israel hosted a three-hour meeting on the “Taiwan Question,” marking the first time the embassy had hosted such an event and addressing an internationally contentious topic.
In the meeting, the Chinese embassy told The Jerusalem Post that "the Taiwan region is an inalienable part of China’s territory and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government.”
Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.