China Conducts Live-Fire Drills Around Taiwan, Simulating Blockade of Major Ports

According to Rokna, citing The Guardian, on Monday morning, the PLA, the armed wing of China’s ruling Communist Party, sent naval, air, and rocket units to surround Taiwan. Additionally, Chinese coast guard vessels were deployed for “law enforcement inspections” around Taiwan’s outer islands.

The exercise, named Justice Mission 2025, was labeled by a PLA spokesperson as a necessary and legitimate response to safeguard China’s sovereignty and unity against Taiwan’s independence movement and external forces.

In response, Taiwan’s defense ministry condemned China’s actions, accusing Beijing of escalating tensions and destabilizing regional peace. Taiwan reiterated its right to defend democracy and freedom, rejecting any justification for aggression. The Taiwanese coast guard also raised concerns, stating the scale of the drills poses significant risks to navigational safety in Taiwan’s waters and disrupts the rights of fishermen.

China’s military modernization efforts have been steadily advancing, with intelligence indicating that Beijing aims to be capable of an invasion by 2027. Taiwan, however, remains firmly opposed to CCP rule and is strengthening its own defenses.

The drills, which are the first since April targeting Taiwan, follow heightened tensions between China and Japan, after Japan's Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested military involvement if China were to attack Taiwan. These exercises also come after the U.S. approved $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan and Taiwan's President, Lai Ching-te, vowed to enhance Taiwan’s combat readiness by 2027. These actions have drawn sharp condemnation from Beijing.

The PLA’s eastern theatre command detailed the scope of the drills, which include rapid maneuvers, sea-air coordination, and blockade tactics. The drills involve destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers, drones, and long-range missiles, targeting maritime assets, including submarines. Beijing's state media depicted dramatic imagery, with a propaganda poster showing arrows fired from China towards Taiwan, symbolizing an attack on separatist forces.

While the full scale of the drills won’t be known until they are completed, analysts noted that the exercise areas are unusually large and closer to Taiwan’s main island than past exercises. For the first time, the PLA explicitly stated that its actions were aimed at deterring international involvement. The visible presence of PLA aircraft on radar is seen as a signal of China's growing anti-access/area denial capabilities.

This marks the sixth major PLA military exercise targeting Taiwan since 2022, with the most recent operation, Strait Thunder-2025A, conducted in April. Taiwan’s officials have anticipated such large-scale drills as part of China’s broader pressure campaign, especially following Japan’s comments.

The exercises are part of a long-standing pattern of Chinese military demonstrations, but experts suggest Beijing will carefully assess the U.S. response and adjust its military strategy accordingly.