China declares 'Justice Mission 2025' Taiwan drills successfully completed
China’s PLA said it had “successfully completed” two days of “Justice Mission 2025” live‑fire drills encircling Taiwan that used fighters, bombers, UAVs, long‑range rockets, naval and coast guard vessels to practice sea‑air combat patrols and simulated blockades of key ports, with rockets fired into waters near the island. Beijing framed the exercises as a warning against “Taiwan independence” and “external interference” after recent U.S. arms sales and comments by Japanese leaders, while Taiwan launched rapid‑response drills and condemned the maneuvers as provocative and U.S. officials said the actions unnecessarily raised tensions; the PLA said the drills tested integrated joint operations.
📌 Key Facts
- China’s military conducted two days of live‑fire exercises called “Justice Mission 2025” around Taiwan, announcing the drills started Monday morning and the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command declared them “successfully completed” on Wednesday afternoon/New Year’s Eve.
- The exercises were joint, involving air, naval and rocket forces — fighters, bombers, UAVs, long‑range rockets/missiles, destroyers, frigates, amphibious ships and coast guard vessels — which Beijing said tested integrated joint operations and sea‑air combat readiness.
- Chinese authorities published maps showing multiple designated live‑fire zones (reported as five to seven areas) encircling Taiwan — in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, southwest, southeast and east — and warned non‑participating vessels and aircraft to avoid those waters and airspace during scheduled windows.
- Operational aims and actions included simulated blockades of key Taiwanese ports, all‑dimensional deterrence outside the island chain, joint seizure of superiority, coordinated precision strikes on mobile targets in the mid‑strait, and the firing of rockets into nearby waters (with some rockets reported inside Taiwan’s 24‑nautical‑mile line).
- Taiwan reported tracking roughly 89–130 Chinese military aircraft (including dozens of sorties crossing the median line) and about a dozen-plus naval/coast‑guard vessels during the drills; Taipei placed forces on high alert, ran rapid‑response exercises and established a response center.
- The drills were widely linked to recent developments: Beijing framed them as a warning against “separatists” and “external interference,” and reporters and officials tied the timing to the U.S. approval of an approximately $11 billion arms package for Taiwan (described as the largest‑ever) and comments by Japan’s prime minister about possible military involvement if China moved against Taiwan.
- International reactions varied: the U.S. State Department said the exercises needlessly increased tensions and urged Beijing to cease military pressure; a bipartisan U.S. House China panel called the drills a “deliberate escalation;” Japan formally protested; Taiwan condemned the maneuvers as highly provocative; while former President Trump publicly said he was “not worried” and framed the activity as routine.
- The drills disrupted civilian aviation (airlines rerouted flights and Taiwanese authorities estimated about 100,000 international travelers would be affected), prompted some market moves but limited immediate financial turmoil (Taiwan’s Taiex rose about 0.9% even as some European stocks slipped and precious metals fell).
📊 Relevant Data
In 2025 surveys, willingness to fight for Taiwan among respondents aged 18-30 ranges from 53% to 88%, which is slightly lower than among older respondents.
Taiwan’s Youth Are Not Defeatist — and The Data Proves It — The Diplomat
Taiwan's global market share in wafer foundry is projected to be 78.6% in 2025.
Overview on Taiwan Semiconductor Industry (2025 Edition) — Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association
91% of Chinese respondents consider the Taiwanese people to be a friend to China, the most positive evaluation given to any other country or people in the survey.
Chinese citizens’ affection for Taiwanese may reduce risk of cross-Strait conflict — Brookings Institution
In a 2025 poll, 10.7% of Taiwanese support unification with China, while 44.3% favor independence.
WUFI survey finds 90% of Taiwanese view China unfavorably — Taiwan News
In 2025 NCCU poll, 2.3% of Taiwanese identify as Chinese only, 30% as both Taiwanese and Chinese, implying approximately 67.7% as Taiwanese only.
NCCU Election Study Center 2025 Taiwanese People's Taiwanese/Chinese Identity Survey — Reddit (summarizing NCCU data)
📰 Sources (12)
U.S. says China military drills near Taiwan "increase tensions unnecessarily"
New information:
- The U.S. State Department, via principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott, publicly criticized the 'Justice Mission 2025' drills as 'unnecessarily' increasing tensions and urged Beijing to 'cease its military pressure against Taiwan.'
- The article specifies that on Monday and Tuesday China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coast guard vessels to encircle Taiwan’s main island, explicitly simulating a blockade of key Taiwanese ports.
- President Donald Trump told reporters he was 'not concerned' about the drills, said he has a 'great relationship' with Xi Jinping, and stated he does not believe Xi will invade, framing the exercises as naval drills that have occurred in the area for 20 years.
- Taiwan’s government is quoted condemning the exercises as 'highly provocative.'
- This piece ties the drills directly to the recent U.S. approval of an approximately $11 billion arms package for Taiwan and notes that this is the sixth major round of Chinese maneuvers around Taiwan since 2022.
China announces it 'successfully completed' Taiwan military maneuvers
New information:
- The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command issued a New Year’s Eve statement saying it had 'successfully completed' the two days of 'Justice Mission 2025' exercises around Taiwan.
- PLA spokesperson Senior Capt. Li Xi said the operation 'fully tested the integrated joint operations capabilities' of participating forces and vowed to 'resolutely thwart' Taiwan independence and 'external intervention.'
- Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his annual New Year’s Eve address, referred to people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait sharing 'a bond of blood and kinship' and called reunification 'a trend of the times' that is 'unstoppable.'
- Japan’s Foreign Ministry formally criticized the exercises as 'an act that escalates tension in the Taiwan Strait,' said it conveyed concerns to Beijing, and reiterated that issues around Taiwan should be resolved peacefully through dialogue.
- The article notes that China itself framed the maneuvers as a message to 'external forces,' in the context of Japan’s remarks and the U.S.’s mid‑December announcement of its largest-ever arms package for Taiwan.
Five Takeaways From China’s Military Drills Around Taiwan
New information:
- Confirms that China’s 'Justice Mission 2025' exercises involved jet fighters, naval ships and coast guard vessels encircling Taiwan.
- Adds that China fired rockets into waters near Taiwan as part of the drills.
- Specifies that the PLA announced the start of the exercises on Monday morning and declared them 'successfully completed' on Wednesday afternoon.
China launches largest military drills off Taiwan in 8 months with live-fire exercises caught on camera
New information:
- PLA Eastern Theater Command released video showing long-range rockets fired into waters north of Taiwan and night bomber takeoffs during "Justice Mission 2025."
- Taiwan’s Defense Ministry says rockets from the drills landed inside Taiwan’s 24-nautical-mile line, indicating especially close proximity to the island.
- Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported 130 PLA aircraft, 14 naval vessels and 8 "official" ships operating around Taiwan as of 6 a.m. local time, with 90 sorties crossing the median line into multiple sectors of Taiwan’s ADIZ.
- Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te publicly accused Beijing of escalating regional military tensions and said Taiwan will not provoke confrontation.
- The PLA publicized drone footage of Taipei 101, accompanied by a psychological-warfare style caption, which Taiwan’s Defense Ministry labeled as such.
- President Donald Trump stated that Xi Jinping did not inform him of the drills and that the exercises did not concern him.
Bipartisan House China panel slams Beijing’s Taiwan drills as ‘deliberate escalation’
New information:
- The bipartisan leaders of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, Rep. John Moolenaar and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, issued a joint statement calling China’s live-fire military exercises around Taiwan a 'deliberate escalation.'
- The committee characterized the drills as intended to intimidate Taiwan and other regional democracies and to undermine peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific.
- The statement explicitly says the United States 'stands with Taiwan and fellow democracies' and will work with partners to preserve Taiwan’s security and a 'free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific.'
- The article provides additional operational detail that China is firing rockets into international waters around Taiwan and conducting exercises with amphibious assault ships, bombers, drones and other vessels on all four sides of the island, grounding international flights.
- It reiterates President Trump’s on-the-record comment that he is 'not worried' about the drills and says he has a 'great relationship' with President Xi Jinping, noting his view that China has held such exercises for 20 years.
Photos: China holds military drills around Taiwan, but Trump says he's not worried
New information:
- Trump told reporters that 'nothing worries' him about the Chinese drills, saying he has a 'great relationship' with Xi Jinping and that Xi 'hasn't told me anything about' the exercises.
- Trump characterized the activity as routine, stating that China has 'been doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area.'
- Taiwan’s defense ministry reported detecting 130 Chinese military aircraft and 8 ships near the island in a 24‑hour period during the ongoing 'Justice Mission 2025' drills.
- Taiwanese airport authorities estimated about 100,000 international air travelers would be affected by the drills’ impact on routes and operations on Dec. 30.
China stages military drills around Taiwan to warn 'external forces' after US, Japan tensions
New information:
- PLA Eastern Theater Command confirms joint live‑fire drills around Taiwan using air, navy, missile units, long‑range rockets, destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers and UAVs, and identifies objectives including sea‑air combat patrols, blockades of key ports and 'all‑dimensional deterrence outside the island chain.'
- Taiwan’s aviation authority estimates more than 100,000 international air travelers will be affected by flight cancellations or diversions due to the exercises.
- Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reports that as of 3 p.m. Monday it tracked 89 Chinese aircraft and drones around the Taiwan Strait, 67 entering Taiwan’s response zone, and detected 14 PLAN ships, 4 additional warships in the Western Pacific and 14 coast guard vessels.
- PLA spokesperson Senior Col. Shi Yi publicly frames the drills as a 'stern warning' against 'Taiwan independence' and 'external interference' and says they are a 'legitimate and necessary action' to safeguard Chinese sovereignty and national unity.
- Taiwan’s Defense Ministry labels the Chinese drills evidence that Beijing is 'the biggest destroyer of peace' and says it has launched rapid response exercises and placed forces on high alert.
China surrounds Taiwan with warships, fighter jets in largest military drills on record
New information:
- Fox reports that the current exercises are China’s largest military drills ever around Taiwan, expanding earlier descriptions of 'Justice Mission 2025' as large-scale but without that superlative.
- The article ties the drills directly to a specific $11.1 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, described as the largest such sale ever, and details its contents: 82 HIMARS launchers with 420 ATACMS missiles, 60 self‑propelled howitzers, UAV systems, software and anti‑armor weapons.
- China’s Eastern Theater Command says drills span seven maritime zones encircling Taiwan, with live‑fire danger areas closer to Taiwan than in prior drills and scheduled through Tuesday.
- Taiwan’s defense ministry reports 89 Chinese military aircraft, 14 naval vessels and 14 coast guard ships operating around the island, with some vessels in close stand‑offs near the 24‑nautical‑mile contiguous zone and others farther out in the Western Pacific.
- The scope of the operation has forced airlines to reroute flights and led Taiwan’s aviation authority to plan alternative airspace corridors, indicating broader civilian disruption.
- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun explicitly frames U.S. arms support as turning Taiwan into a 'powder keg' and warns of a drift toward 'military confrontation and war,' while reiterating Beijing’s view that U.S. efforts to 'use Taiwan to contain China will not succeed.'
World shares are mostly lower in quiet holiday trading as China stages war drills near Taiwan
New information:
- Markets reaction: European stocks were mostly slightly lower in thin holiday trading while Taiwan’s Taiex rose 0.9% despite the drills.
- China’s military said the exercises were intended to warn against 'separatist' and 'external interference' forces; Taiwan called Beijing 'the biggest destroyer of peace.'
- The drills followed Chinese anger over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that Japan’s Self‑Defense Forces could get involved if China took action against Taiwan.
- Gold fell 1.3% to $4,494/oz and silver slipped 2.3% to $75.40 after recent record gains, with silver markets affected by China scrapping an export quota system in favor of an export licensing regime starting Jan. 1.
- U.S. benchmark crude oil rose more than $1 to about $57.87 per barrel, while S&P 500 futures dipped 0.2% and Dow futures were flat.
- South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.2%, driven by a 6.8% surge in SK Hynix after a regulatory change lifted an investment warning on the stock; Samsung Electronics rose 2.1%.
China launches 2 days of live-fire military drills around Taiwan
New information:
- Specifies that the drills are explicitly framed by China as simulating a blockade of Taiwan’s key ports, including 'blockade on key ports and areas.'
- Details that China published a map of five large zones around Taiwan where additional live-fire activities will occur, and warned non-participating vessels and aircraft to avoid those waters and airspace during a 10-hour window Tuesday.
- Notes Taiwan has established a response center, deployed 'appropriate forces,' and run its own 'rapid response exercise' in reaction to the drills.
- Reports Taiwan detected four Chinese coast guard ships off its northern and eastern coasts and deployed large vessels plus support units in response.
- Reiterates the linkage to a record U.S. arms sale package of more than $10 billion to Taiwan and comments from Japan’s prime minister about possible Japanese military involvement if China moves against Taiwan, while clarifying that China’s Monday statement did not explicitly mention the U.S. or Japan.
- Includes fresh condemnations from Taiwan’s defense ministry and presidential office, calling China the 'greatest destroyer of peace' and accusing Beijing of 'military intimidation' and 'disregard for international norms.'
Chinese military stages drills around Taiwan to warn 'external forces'
New information:
- Clarifies that the joint PLA drills involve air, navy and rocket forces focused on sea‑air combat readiness patrols, blockades of key ports and 'joint seizure of comprehensive superiority'.
- Specifies that exercises are being held in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, southwest, southeast and east of Taiwan, with an explicit goal of 'all‑dimensional deterrence outside the island chain'.
- Details operational elements: use of fighters, bombers and UAVs coordinated with long‑range rocket launches to practice precision strikes on mobile ground targets in the middle of the Taiwan Strait.
- Provides a concrete timeline: large live‑fire drills scheduled between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday, covering five designated areas around Taiwan.
- Adds Taiwan’s response posture: rapid‑response and combat‑readiness drills, forces placed on high alert, and a statement labeling Beijing 'the biggest destroyer of peace' and an 'aggressor'.
- Links the drills explicitly to Chinese anger over recent U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and to public comments by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about potential Japanese military involvement.
- Notes Chinese propaganda framing via themed posters (e.g., 'Shield of Justice, Smashing Illusion') threatening to 'eliminate' foreign 'interlopers' and separatists.