BEIJING/TAIPEI, Dec 29 (Reuters) – China launched its most extensive war exercises ever around Taiwan on Monday, showcasing its ability to cut off the island from outside support in times of conflict and testing Taipei’s resolve to protect itself and its stockpile of U.S.-made weapons.
The Eastern Theater Command announced that it has committed troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery to the “Justice Mission 2025” exercise, which involves besieging democratically-ruled islands, conducting live fire and simulated attacks on land and sea targets, and blockading Taiwan’s main ports.
The live-fire exercise continued Tuesday across a record seven sea areas designated by the China Maritime Safety Administration, making it the largest-ever exercise in total area and closer to Taiwan than previous exercises. The military initially announced that the shelling would be limited to five areas.
China’s sixth major military exercise since 2022, after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the democratically-ruled island, follows stronger rhetoric promoting Beijing’s territorial claims after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that a supposed Chinese attack on Taiwan could provoke a military response from Tokyo.
Taiwan rejects China’s claims of sovereignty and insists only its people can decide its future.
Asked about Tuesday’s training, Hsieh Chi-sheng, Taiwan’s chief of intelligence general staff at Taiwan’s defense ministry, told reporters: “Our military operates on the principle of preparing for the worst and must take into account all possible scenarios.”
“Holding live-fire exercises near the Taiwan Strait not only puts military pressure on Japan, but also has the potential to create more complex challenges and impacts on the international community and neighboring countries.”
“Strong message regarding external interference”
The exercises began 11 days after the United States announced an $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, the largest ever, prompting an outcry from China’s Defense Ministry, which warned the military would take “strong measures” in response.
“They (China) are sending a strong message about external interference,” said Chie Chun, a researcher at Taiwan’s National Defense and Security Research Institute, noting that China has “completely cut off” air and sea links with Japan in three zones in northern Taiwan.
Analysts say Beijing’s drills are increasingly blurring the line between routine military training and what could be the stage for an attack, aimed at giving the United States and its allies minimal warning of an attack.
The Chinese military also released a video depicting autonomous humanoid robots, microdrones, and weaponized robot dogs attacking the island, futuristic technology never before demonstrated by China.
Fu Zhengyuan, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, told state media that the exercises were justified by concerns about improving interoperability between Taiwan’s and U.S. combat systems, which he said would increase the risk of direct conflict between the two superpowers.
Taiwan’s government condemned the exercise, while the Ministry of Defense posted a video on Facebook showcasing various weapons. It includes a high-mobility artillery system with a range of about 300 kilometers (186 miles), including the U.S.-made HIMARS rocket system, which could hit coastal targets in China’s southern Fujian province across the Taiwan Strait in the event of a conflict.
The island’s coast guard said it was deploying large vessels to confront Chinese coast guard vessels near the area and was coordinating with the military to minimize the impact of the exercise on shipping lanes and fishing grounds.
Taiwan’s aviation authorities also said they were working to identify alternative flight routes after China designated a “temporary danger zone” in Taipei’s airspace for a 10-hour live-fire training exercise scheduled for Tuesday.
quick response
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said on Monday that 89 Chinese military aircraft, 14 warships and 14 coast guard boats were operating around Taiwan, and four warships were also spotted in the Western Pacific.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense announced that some Chinese vessels engaged in a standoff with a Taiwanese vessel near the island’s contiguous zone (24 nautical miles offshore).
The ministry said Taiwan’s military is on high alert and ready to conduct “quick response exercises” aimed at quickly moving troops if the exercise turns into an attack.
Taiwan’s stock market was unaffected by the drill and closed up 0.9%.
“I think these drills are just to scare us,” said Lin Weiming, 31, a teacher based in the capital Taipei. “Similar exercises have been conducted before. The political side of things can only be handled by the current government in Taiwan and how they choose to respond.”
“Crush the Separatist villains.”
In response to the training announcement, the Chinese military released a series of propaganda posters with graphics depicting targeting at four locations on the island.
Chinese state broadcaster said the exercise would focus on the blockade of Keelung Port in northern Taiwan, an important deep-water port, and Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, Taiwan’s largest port city.
The People’s Liberation Army imposed a port blockade around Taiwan during military exercises last year, but this is the first time the People’s Liberation Army has publicly stated that its exercises around the island are aimed at “deterring” outside military intervention.
The first poster appeared to show a fleet of civilian ships that China is mobilizing to support an attack on Taiwan, vessels with ramps and open decks that can be used to carry out amphibious attacks.
“Foreign interference that touches the shield (of justice) will perish!” the poster read. “All Separatist villains that encounter the Shield will be destroyed!”
(Reporting by Joe Cash, Yimou Lee and Wen-Yi Li in Taipei; Additional reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing and Fabian Hamacher and Roger Tan in Taipei; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Stephen Coates and Saad Said)
