Key Insights into China's Significant Military Exercises Near Taiwan

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China’s large-scale military drills around Taiwan went on for a second day on Tuesday, the sixth major manoeuvres Beijing has held near the self-ruled island in recent years.

The Chinese military has announced a series of live-fire exercises until 6 PM local time, strategically positioned around Taiwan and off the Chinese coast. This move has heightened tensions in a region already fraught with historical and political complexities.

The roots of this division trace back to 1949, when the Chinese civil war concluded with Communist forces securing control over mainland China, while their Nationalist adversaries retreated to Taiwan. Since then, the two sides have operated under separate governance, maintaining a fragile peace.

The ultimate cause is China’s claim that Taiwan is part of its territory, an assertion Taipei rejects.

Recently, China has intensified its rhetoric, pledging “forceful measures” in response to the United States’ approval of a substantial $11 billion arms deal with Taiwan, a move seen by Beijing as a direct challenge to its sovereignty.

Beijing has refused to rule out using force to achieve its goal of “reunification” with the island of 23 million people.

It opposes countries having official ties with Taiwan and denounces any calls for independence.

Adding to the diplomatic fray, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has also drawn China’s ire by suggesting that any forceful action against Taiwan might necessitate a military response from Tokyo. This assertion underscores the broader international implications of the Taiwan issue.

After the drills began on Monday, Beijing warned “external forces” against arming the island, but did not name Washington.

China’s military activities are not limited to the live-fire exercises. They encompass comprehensive combat readiness patrols both at sea and in the air, aimed at asserting control and deterring potential aggression beyond the Taiwanese island chain.

On the ground, Agence France-Presse journalists reported witnessing at least ten rockets soaring into the sky from the closest Chinese point to Taiwan on Tuesday morning. This display of military might serves as a stark reminder of the volatile dynamics at play in the region.

Chinese authorities have published a map showing several large zones encircling Taiwan where the operations are taking place.

Code-named “Justice Mission 2025”, they use live ammunition and involve army, navy, air and rocket forces.

They simulate a blockade of key Taiwanese ports including Keelung in the north and Kaohsiung in the south, according to a Chinese military spokesperson and state media.

They also focus on combat readiness patrols on sea and in the air, seizing “comprehensive” control over adversaries, and deterring aggression beyond the Taiwanese island chain.

China says it has deployed destroyers, frigates, fighters and bombers to simulate strikes and assaults on maritime targets.

Taipei said it detected 130 Chinese military aircraft near the island in the 24 hours to 6am local time on Tuesday, close to the record 153 it logged in October 2024.

It also detected 14 Chinese navy ships and eight unspecified government vessels over the same period.

Agence France-Presse journalists stationed at China’s closest point to Taiwan saw at least 10 rockets blast into the air on Tuesday morning.

How has Taiwan responded?

Taipei has strongly condemned China’s “disregard for international norms and the use of military intimidation”.

Its military said it has deployed “appropriate forces” and “carried out a rapid response exercise”.

President Lai Ching-te said China’s drills were “absolutely not the actions a responsible major power should take”.

But he said Taipei would “act responsibly, without escalating the conflict or provoking disputes”.

US president Donald Trump has said he is not concerned about the drills.

“I have a great relationship with [Chinese] president Xi [Jinping], and he hasn’t told me anything about [the drills]. I certainly have seen it,” Trump told reporters.

“No, nothing worries me. They’ve been doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area.”

How often does this happen?

This is China’s sixth major round of manoeuvres since 2022 when a visit to Taiwan by then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged Beijing.

Such activities were rare before that but China and Taiwan have come close to war over the years, notably in 1958.

China last held large-scale live-fire drills in April.

This time, Beijing is emphasising “keeping foreign forces that might intervene at a distance from Taiwan”, said Chieh Chung, a military expert at the island’s Tamkang University.

What are analysts saying?

“China’s main message is a warning to the United States and Japan not to attempt to intervene if the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] uses force against Taiwan,” Chieh said.

But the time frame signalled by Beijing “suggests a limited range of activities”, said Ja Ian Chong, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore.

Falling support for China-friendly parties in Taiwan and Beijing’s own army purges and slowing economy may also have motivated the drills, he said.

But the goal was still “to cow Taiwan and any others who might support them by demonstrating that Beijing’s efforts to control Taiwan are unstoppable”.