China on Monday launched live-fire military exercises around Taiwan, sharply escalating tensions in the region. Beijing described the drills as a warning to “separatist” forces in Taiwan and to what it called “external interference” by foreign countries.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the armed wing of China’s ruling Communist Party, said it deployed naval ships, air force aircraft, and rocket units to surround Taiwan early Monday morning. At the same time, Chinese coast guard vessels carried out what Beijing described as “law enforcement inspections” in waters around the island.

PLA calls drills a warning to independence forces

The military exercise has been named Justice Mission 2025. A spokesperson for the PLA’s eastern theatre command, Colonel Shi Yi, said the drills were meant to send a clear message. He described the operation as “a stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces”.

“It is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.”

Taiwan condemns drills, deploys its own forces

In response, Taiwan’s defence ministry accused Beijing of raising tensions and damaging regional stability. The ministry said it had “strongly condemned” China’s actions and confirmed that Taiwan had deployed “appropriate forces” to respond.

Taiwan also said it carried out its own counter combat-readiness exercises to ensure preparedness.

“Defending democracy and freedom is no provocation, and the existence of the Republic of China [Taiwan’s formal name] is not an excuse for aggressors to disrupt the status quo,” the ministry said.

Taiwan’s coast guard warned that the scale of the drills “poses a significant threat to the navigational safety of vessels in Taiwan’s waters and to the operational rights of fishermen”.

China’s long-standing claim over Taiwan

Beijing considers Taiwan a Chinese province and has repeatedly said it intends to bring the island under its control. In recent years, China has rapidly expanded and modernised its military. According to earlier US intelligence assessments, Beijing aims to be capable of launching an invasion by 2027.

China’s Communist Party and President Xi Jinping have called on Taiwan to accept “peaceful reunification”. However, these calls have been backed mainly by threats and pressure, which have intensified over time.

Most of Taiwan’s political leaders and the public strongly reject the idea of rule by the Chinese Communist Party. In response, Taiwan has been strengthening its military defences.

Drills follow rising regional and global tensions

The latest PLA exercises are the first to directly target Taiwan since April. They come amid worsening relations between China and Japan after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her country would likely become militarily involved if China attacked Taiwan.

The drills also follow the US government’s approval of $11 billion in weapons sales to Taiwan. In addition, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te recently pledged to strengthen defences and reach a “high level of combat preparedness” by 2027.

All these developments have drawn angry reactions from Beijing.

Details of the military exercise

In its official statement, China’s eastern theatre command said the drills involved ships and aircraft approaching Taiwan from multiple directions.

“The vessels and aircraft will approach the Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions to test the capabilities of the troops to conduct rapid manoeuvres, form all-dimensional posture, and execute systemic blockade and control.”

China also released propaganda videos and maps marking restricted air and sea zones. These included three large zones near Taiwan’s southern tip and two more to the north and north-west.

The PLA said it deployed destroyers, frigates, fighter jets, bombers, drones, and long-range missiles. The drills tested “capabilities of sea-air coordination and of precise target hunting and neutralisation”, including simulated attacks on submarines and other maritime targets.

Analysts note unusual scale and signals

While the full scale of the exercise may only become clear after it ends, analysts said the designated drill zones were larger and closer to Taiwan than in previous exercises. Observers also noted that the PLA openly stated it was practising to deter international involvement, which is unusual.

Another notable aspect was that several PLA aircraft remained visible on radar systems.

“That is a signal that the PLA is building up their anti-access/area denial capabilities, and publicly declaring it,” said William Yang, senior north-east Asia analyst at the International Crisis Group.

Part of a broader pressure campaign

Justice Mission 2025 marks the sixth major PLA exercise aimed at Taiwan since China launched large-scale drills in 2022 after then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island.

In April, the PLA conducted a two-day drill called Strait Thunder-2025A, leading to speculation that a follow-up exercise would take place later in the year.

Yang said Taiwanese security officials had already warned that China might stage major drills as part of pressure tactics linked to Japan’s recent statements.

He also noted that this was the second major PLA exercise during the second term of US President Donald Trump, who met Xi Jinping in October but did not discuss Taiwan.

Yang added: “Beijing will likely take into account the response from the US [to these drills] and carefully determine how it should formulate and plan the PLA’s military operation.”