To further ramp up tensions in the region, China has recently begun conducting massive live-fire military drills around Taiwan. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) just concluded large scale exercises entitled “Justice Mission 2025.” They act as an intimidation against what the PLA euphemizes as “separatist” forces within Taiwan and to deter any “external interference” from other countries.
These drills are the sixth large-scale military exercise by China aimed at Taiwan since 2022. In the announcement of the drills, the PLA’s eastern theatre command stated. First, these exercises directly answer Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s pledge to make Taiwan’s defenses such that they achieve a “high level of combat preparedness” by 2027.
Just a few weeks ago, the US government approved another $11 billion of weapons sales to Taiwan. This decision splits and exacerbates the growing backlash against the attacks. Chinese coast guard vessels have been conducting what they describe as “law enforcement inspections” around Taiwan. This new development is a really unfortunate layer of complexity to an already hot situation.
“It is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.” – Col Shi Yi
Taiwan’s defense ministry on Friday accused Beijing of intentionally provoking hostilities and threatening regional stability, peace and security. The ministry doubled down on its commitment to protect democracy and freedom. It strongly reiterated that the existence of Taiwan should not be invoked by aggressors as a pretext with which to attack and change the status quo.
China insists that Taiwan is an inalienable province of China and that China is just waiting them out until they can be annexed painlessly. China’s military showed their hand earlier this year, during a two-day operation dubbed “Strait Thunder-2025A.” This incident was one of many that helped establish the supremacy of China’s forces.
Analysts have cautioned against drawing conclusions too quickly, arguing that the scope of these current drills will only be known once they are over. They identified an interesting trend in that the areas designated for military exercises seem to be getting bigger and closer to Taiwan’s main island. This amendment represents a further deepening of our military posture toward combat readiness.
“That is a signal that the PLA is building up their anti-access/area denial capabilities, and publicly declaring it.” – William Yang
The PLA has been very clear that this is to rehearse the practice of discouraging outside intervention in the Taiwan Strait. While conducting the drills, produced stylized propaganda videos were released featuring maps that marked air and maritime exclusion zones. These visuals were highly effective, as they further validated China’s claims and intentions in the region.
We know the geopolitical landscape in the entire region is changing quickly. Not only is China aggressively modernizing and expanding its military, there’s a clear objective—readiness to invade by 2027 at the latest. In reply, Taiwan is increasing its military defenses in order to stand up against China’s increasingly aggressive saber rattling.
“Beijing will likely take into account [the response from the US] and carefully determine how it should formulate and plan the PLA’s military operation.” – Yang