WEST PHILIPPINE SEA, PHILIPPINES – APRIL 27: A Chinese warship is seen sailing near several Philippine and U.S. naval vessels participating in a multilateral maritime exercise as part of the Balikatan exercise, after Washington deployed an advanced missile system to the Philippines on April 27, 2025, in the West Philippine Sea. (Photo: Daniel Sen/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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The Chinese military on Monday moved its army, navy, air force and artillery units across Taiwan to conduct “Mission of Justice 2025” training. The island has vowed to defend democracy and has mobilized troops in rehearsals to repel a potential Chinese attack.
The training will include live-fire exercises, the Eastern Theater Command announced on Tuesday in a statement that included a diagram showing five areas around the island that would be under sea and airspace restrictions for 10 hours starting at 8 a.m. GMT.
This will be China’s sixth major war game since 2022, after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the democratically-ruled island. It also follows heightened Chinese rhetoric against 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.
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.
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 said it would deploy fighter jets, bombers, unmanned aerial vehicles and long-range rockets to simulate a coordinated attack on the island from multiple directions while training attacks on mobile ground targets.
“This (training) serves as a serious warning to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interfering forces,” Eastern Theater spokesman Xi Yi said.
The Taiwanese government condemned the exercise. The presidential spokesperson urged China not to misjudge the situation and undermine regional peace, and called on the Chinese government to immediately stop what it called an irresponsible provocation.
fear tactics
The island’s defense ministry said two Chinese military aircraft and 11 ships had been operating around the island in the past 24 hours, and Taiwan’s military was on high alert and ready to conduct “rapid response exercises.”
This special exercise is aimed at quickly moving troops in case China suddenly turns its training around the island into an attack.
“All members of our armed forces remain on high alert and on full alert and will take concrete actions to defend the values of democracy and freedom,” the Defense Ministry said.
On Monday, a senior Taiwanese security official told Reuters that dozens of Chinese warships and aircraft were operating near Taiwan, some of them “deliberately approaching” the contiguous zone, defined as 24 nautical miles from the coast.
Taiwan’s coast guard said it has dispatched large vessels to counter Chinese coast guard activities near Taiwanese waters and is cooperating with the Taiwanese military to minimize the impact of the exercise on maritime routes and fishing grounds.
Taiwan’s stock market was unaffected by the exercise, rising 0.6% in morning trading to a record high.
“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.”
Taiwan rejects China’s claims of sovereignty and insists only its people can decide its future.
“Destroy the Separatist thugs.”
Following the announcement of the drill, the Chinese military released two posters titled “Shield of Justice: Breaking Illusions” and “Arrow of Justice: Control and Denial,” as well as a third graphic depicting the four locations on the island where they are locking onto targets.
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 Japanese prime minister’s remarks triggered a surge of messages emphasizing China’s sovereignty claims. Chinese leader Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump in November that Taiwan’s “return to China” after World War II was central to Beijing’s vision for world order.
The first poster showed a fleet of civilian ships being mobilized by China to support an attack on Taiwan. Vessels with ramps and open decks similar to military landing craft used in amphibious assaults were also on display.
“Foreign interference that touches the shield (of justice) will perish!” the poster read. “All Separatist villains that encounter the Shield will be destroyed!”
The second poster depicts flaming arrows raining down on Taiwan and a green cartoon insect impaling it. The Chinese government regularly calls Taiwanese President Lai Ching-de a “parasite” and began using a caricature of a green bug to represent the separatist group during military exercises in April.
“I think their (China’s) goal is, as they said, ‘to protect the island, not the people,'” said interior designer Stephanie Huang, 56. “They’re just trying to save face by claiming Taiwan is part of their country, but Taiwanese people don’t think so.”
“We are us and they are them.”
