China begins military drills around Taiwan in ‘stern warning’ to external forces, separatists

China has deployed air, navy, and rocket troops to the waters around Taiwan for drills aimed at testing combat readiness and delivering a “stern warning” to separatists and external forces meddling in Beijing’s internal affairs.

In a statement, the Chinese military’s Eastern Theatre Command said it was dispatching army, navy, air force, and rocket force troops to five zones around Taiwan for its “Just Mission 2025,” starting on Monday.

Live-fire exercises will begin on Tuesday in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, southwest, southeast, and east of the island, it said.

Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Theatre Command, said in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo that the activities will focus “on ​training for maritime and aerial combat readiness patrols, gaining ‌integrated control, sealing off key ports and areas, and conducting multi-dimensional deterrence.”

The drills serve “as a serious warning to ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces,” he added.

Chinese vessels and aircraft will approach Taiwan “in close proximity from different directions,” and troops of multiple services will “engage in joint assaults to test their joint operations capabilities,” according to Shi.

A separate statement with a map showed five large zones surrounding the island where “live firing activities will be organized” from 8 am to 6 pm (00:00-10:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

“For the sake of safety, any irrelevant vessel or aircraft is advised not to enter the afore-mentioned waters and airspace,” the statement read.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ⁠said it had deployed fighter jets, bombers, unmanned aerial vehicles, and long-range rockets, and would practise striking mobile land-based targets.

China’s ‌state broadcaster added that the drills would focus on sealing off Taiwan’s vital deep-water Port of Keelung to the island’s north and Kaohsiung to Taiwan’s south, the island’s largest port city.

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The announcement came amid anger in Beijing over an $11.1bn weapons sale to Taiwan by the United States, as well as a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested that the Japanese military could get involved if China were to attack the island.

Beijing sees the island as part of its sovereign territory and has refused to rule out using military force to seize Taiwan if deemed necessary.

The planned drills mark China’s sixth major round of war games since 2022 – after then-US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan – and were described by the state-owned Xinhua news agency as “a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.”

While the Chinese military has practised port blockades around Taiwan during war games last year, this marks the first time it has publicly stated that drills around the island are aimed at deterring foreign military intervention, according to observers.

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