China launches 'Justice Mission 2025' war games to encircle Taiwan

In moves escalating tensions in the sensitive Taiwan Strait, China on Monday (December 29) launched major military games around Taiwan to display its capacity to isolate the island-nation from external aid in case there is a conflict.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command confirmed that it had deployed forces, including troops, warships, artilleries and fighter planes for what it calls a “Justice Mission 2025” exercise to encircle Taiwan, carry out live fire and stimulated targeting of objects on land and sea, and drills to blockade the democratically governed island’s main ports, Reuters reported. The Justice Mission kicked off less than a house after it was announced.

Drills to continue on Dec 30

The live-firing exercises are set to continue on Tuesday (December 30) across an unprecedented seven zones designated by China's Maritime Safety Administration, thereby making these drills the largest to date in terms of total coverage and in regions nearer to Taiwan compared to prior exercises.

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Initially, the Chinese military had indicated that artillery firing would be limited to five zones.

A spokesperson of the Chinese government said on Monday that the military drills were specifically targeted at “Taiwan independence” separatist activities and external interference, the country’s official state news agency Xinhua reported.

China indirectly warns US, Japan

Lin Jian, a spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry, said unnamed “external parties” were taking the region to the brink of war.

One of those external sides is the US.

The current drill, which is China’s sixth major war game around Taiwan in the last three years, comes just days after the Donald Trump administration approved a record arms sale deal with Taiwan worth USD 11 billion. An irate China slapped American defence firms, including Boeing, with sanctions in retaliation.

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The leaders of Taiwan and Japan have also enraged the Chinese. As per analysts, Beijing was irked by recent assertions made by Taiwanese President Li Ching-te to boost the island-nation’s defences to counter Chinese attacks. It was also not amused by the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s threat that her country could become militarily involved if China launched an attack on Taiwan.

Taiwan reacts strongly

Taiwan also reacted to China’s military exercises with its presidential office condemning Beijing's actions as destabilising. A senior security official in the island-nation told Reuters that as several Chinese military boats and aircraft were moving around it, some of them were “deliberately closing in” on Taiwan’s contiguous zone, defined as 24 nautical miles from the shores.

Taiwan’s transport ministry said over 1,00,000 passengers set to take international flights will be affected by the drills on Tuesday, while nearly 80 domestic flights will be cancelled.

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Karen Kuo, spokesperson of the Taiwanese presidential office, urged Beijing to show rationality and restraint. The national defense ministry said a response centre has been set up, with the forces dispatched in response to the Chinese drills.