At a Glance
- PLA claims “successfully completed” two days of exercises off Taiwan, called “Justice Mission 2025.”
- Chinese leaders frame drills as a warning to “external forces” and a test of joint operations.
- Japan, the Philippines, and the U.S. have voiced concerns, citing increased tension.
- Why it matters: The maneuvers intensify cross-strait friction and signal China’s readiness to assert sovereignty over Taiwan.
The PLA announced that it had finished a two-day exercise near Taiwan, describing the drills as a test of integrated joint operations. The announcement, made on New Year’s Eve, was accompanied by martial music and no specifics on success. The move comes amid heightened tensions as China, Japan, the Philippines and the United States react.
PLA Exercises
The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said the operation, dubbed “Justice Mission 2025,” tested integrated joint operations capabilities. Senior Capt. Li Xi, spokesperson, emphasized that troops remain on high alert, ready to thwart “Taiwan Independence” separatists and external intervention. The video announcement offered no details on the exercises’ scope or completion time, though earlier notes said drills were set for Monday and Tuesday.
- The operation was named “Justice Mission 2025.”
- It aimed to test integrated joint operations.
- No specifics were released on the scope or completion time.
International Reactions
Senior Capt. Li Xi stated:
> “Always on high alert, the troops of the Theater Command will keep strengthening combat readiness with arduous training, resolutely thwart the attempts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatists and external intervention, and firmly safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Japanese Foreign Ministry said:
> “China’s military exercises around Taiwan is ‘an act that escalates tension in the Taiwan Strait’ and that it has conveyed the concern to Beijing.”
> “Japan expects the issues surrounding Taiwan to be resolved peacefully through dialogue, which is a position that the Japanese government has consistently maintained all along. The peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important for the entire international community.”
Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. said:
> “I am deeply concerned by China’s military and coast guard actions around Taiwan. They undermine stability in an already fragile geopolitical environment.”
> “This heightened scale of coercion has implications that extend beyond cross-Strait relations and into the broader Indo-Pacific community. Basic principles of self-restraint must be observed.”
U.S. President Donald Trump said:
> “I am not concerned because I have a good relationship with Xi and China has been ‘doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area.'”
Key Takeaways
- PLA claims completion of two-day exercises off Taiwan.
- China frames drills as a warning to external forces and a joint-operations test.
- Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. have expressed alarm, citing increased tension in East Asia.
The announcement underscores China’s push to assert sovereignty over Taiwan, while prompting international scrutiny of its military posture.
