Beijing [China], December 29 (ANI): China on Monday announced the launch of a large-scale, inter-service joint military exercise around Taiwan, underscoring its territorial claims over the island, which Beijing says is a “sacred and inseparable part” of its territory.
According to China Daily, citing a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, the military exercise, codenamed “Justice Mission 2025,” involves coordinated participation by China’s ground forces, air force, navy, missile units, and other branches of the military.
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said the exercise includes air and maritime patrols, simulated strikes against hostile targets, blockades of key ports and areas, and deterrence operations along the periphery of the battlefield.
The drills are aimed at testing the PLA’s joint combat and integrated operational capabilities. “The operation includes air and sea patrols, suppression of hostile forces, blockade of critical ports and zones, and battlefield periphery deterrence, and is intended to test our forces’ joint combat capabilities,” Shi said, as quoted by China Daily.
He added that PLA aircraft and naval vessels are conducting maneuvers around Taiwan from multiple directions, while different service branches are carrying out simulated joint strikes to assess rapid deployment and all-domain operational control.
Describing the exercise as a stern warning, Shi said the drills are directed against “Taiwan independence” forces and what he called external interference in the Taiwan issue, asserting that the operation is necessary to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity, according to China Daily.
The Eastern Theater Command also released a themed poster titled “Shield of Justice, Smashing Illusion” in connection with the exercise.
The command has deployed fighter jets, bombers, and unmanned aerial vehicles, along with long-range rocket forces, to conduct drills in central areas of the Taiwan Strait’s airspace and waters. The exercises are designed to engage mobile ground targets and assess the troops’ ability to carry out precise strikes on critical objectives.
The move is widely seen as an intensified effort by China to assert its claim over Taiwan, which Beijing considers an integral part of its territory.
The exercise follows the US administration’s approval, under President Donald Trump, of a major arms package for Taiwan on December 18. According to the US State Department, the proposed sales are valued at USD 11.1 billion and include medium-range missiles, howitzers, and drones.
The potential sale includes eight arms packages for Taiwan, covering HIMARS rocket systems, anti-tank missiles, and drones. China has condemned the US move, saying it “seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiqués, interferes in China’s internal affairs, and undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
As a countermeasure, China announced sanctions last week against US defense-related companies and senior executives. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said sanctions will be imposed on 20 US defense-related companies and 10 senior executives involved in supplying weapons to Taiwan in recent years.
The measures, taken under China’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, took effect immediately.
Meanwhile, Taiwan condemned China’s military exercise, describing it as an “irrational provocation” that undermines regional peace. “We strongly condemn the PRC’s irrational provocations and oppose the PLA’s actions that undermine regional peace,” Taiwan’s minister of national defense said in a post on X. “Rapid response exercises are underway, with forces on high alert to defend the Republic of China and protect our people.”
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