China conducted large-scale live-fire military drills around Taiwan on Monday, mobilizing troops, warships, fighter jets, and artillery for its "Justice Mission 2025" exercises as Taiwan scrambled its own forces and displayed U.S.-made equipment in preparation to repel an attack.
The Eastern Theater Command said it had concentrated forces to the north and southwest of the Taiwan Strait and carried out live firing and simulated strikes on land and maritime targets. The drills would continue Tuesday and include exercises to blockade the island's main ports and encircle it.
A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters that dozens of Chinese military boats and aircraft were operating around the island, some of which were "deliberately closing in" on Taiwan's contiguous zone, defined as 24 nautical miles from its coast.
This marks China's sixth major round of war games since 2022, after then-U.S. 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 exercises began 11 days after the U.S. 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.
