China begins military exercises around Taiwan

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China has launched a new round of military exercises around Taiwan in a warning shot to “independence” forces after Taiwan signed its biggest-ever arms purchase deal with the United States.

According to a statement issued on Monday by the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command, the joint Chinese military exercises will involve army, navy, air and rocket forces in areas along the Taiwan Strait as well as in the north, southwest, southeast and east of Taiwan.

The statement said the “Justice Mission 2025” exercise will include testing the PLA’s combat readiness for maritime and air warfare, as well as blockade of ports and strategic areas, establishing battlefield control and deterring external forces.

“This serves as a serious warning to Taiwan independence separatist forces and external interference forces,” said Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a command spokesman. “This is a necessary action to safeguard national sovereignty and safeguard national unity.”

The PLA said the exercises would include live-fire drills on Tuesday and warned ships and aircraft to avoid nearby seas and airspace.

China’s military has become increasingly assertive around Taiwan in recent years. Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has threatened to take control by force if Taipei resists its pressure indefinitely.

Earlier this month, the US approved an $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, the largest package of its kind, as Taipei seeks to strengthen its defense capabilities against Chinese threats.

In a symbolic response to the arms sales, Beijing this week announced sanctions against 20 US military-related companies and their employees.

China’s Foreign Ministry published an article on its official WeChat account on Monday titled: “The US should fully recognize the serious consequences of arms sales to Taiwan”.

The ministry said: “The balance of power across the strait has fundamentally changed. No matter how hard the US tries to turn Taiwan into a so-called porcupine, it will not be able to prevent China’s final and complete reunification.”

Heightened tensions over Taiwan threaten to thaw US-China ties after Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump agreed in late October to a ceasefire in the trade war between the world’s largest economies.

The drills also come amid a bitter diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Tokyo after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

A spokesman for Taiwan’s presidential office on Monday called on China to immediately stop “irresponsible and provocative actions.”

On Sunday, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said the country needed to “keep raising the stakes” against a possible invasion by China. He reiterated the need for Taiwan to strengthen its security and invest in military capabilities, local media reported.

“Crossing the (Taiwan Strait) is a difficult challenge in itself,” he said. “When Russia invaded Ukraine, it sent tanks straight in.”

In November, Lai pledged to spend nearly $40 billion on arms over the next eight years – Taiwan’s largest exclusive defense budget in more than three decades – as his administration aims to deter Beijing and signal a clear determination to make Trump pay for its security.

The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

William Yang, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the exercise is the second large-scale exercise since Trump returned to the White House, and that it would “test” his administration’s response.

Yang said Beijing would have to “take into account the US response and carefully determine how it should prepare and plan the PLA’s military operations, including regular training and more tactical shows of force, to put pressure on Taiwan”.

He said Beijing may also see an opportunity to help escalate domestic political turmoil in Taiwan.

“Opposition parties have been accusing the Lai administration of increasing the risks of conflict with China because of its cross-Strait policies and efforts to increase Taiwan’s defense budget,” Yang said.