- China’s PLA Eastern Theater Command launched joint drills code-named “Justice Mission 2025” around Taiwan involving Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force units.
- The drills cover the Taiwan Strait and surrounding areas and include patrols, joint operations, and simulated blockades, according to state media.
China’s People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command on Monday began large-scale joint military drills around Taiwan, code-named “Justice Mission 2025,” involving ground, naval, air, and rocket forces, according to China’s state media.
According to a report from Xinhua News Agency, the drills started on Dec. 29 and are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait as well as in areas to the north, southwest, southeast, and east of Taiwan. The announcement was made by Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command.
Shi said the command has deployed units from the PLA Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force to carry out coordinated operations in waters and airspace surrounding Taiwan. The exercises are designed to test joint operational capabilities across multiple services operating simultaneously in close proximity to the island.
The drills focus on several operational subjects, including sea and air combat readiness patrols, joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, blockades of key ports and areas, and what the PLA described as “all-dimensional deterrence” beyond the island chain.
“With vessels and aircraft approaching Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services engage in joint assaults to test their joint operations capabilities,” Shi said, according to Xinhua.
The Eastern Theater Command said the exercises involve coordinated movements of warships and military aircraft operating from multiple axes around Taiwan, simulating scenarios that require joint command and control, integrated firepower, and synchronized maneuver.
Chinese authorities described the drills as a response to what they characterize as separatist activities related to Taiwan and what they call external interference. Shi said the exercises serve as “a stern warning against ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces and external interference” and described them as a “legitimate and necessary action” to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.
No specific numbers of ships, aircraft, or missile units involved were disclosed in the report.
The PLA Eastern Theater Command is responsible for operations in areas covering the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and it routinely conducts exercises near Taiwan. However, the scale and scope described in the “Justice Mission 2025” announcement point to coordinated participation across all major PLA service branches.
China has stepped up the frequency and complexity of military activities around Taiwan in recent years, including joint exercises, air and naval patrols, and simulated blockade operations. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to assert control over the island.