China to hold military drills around Taiwan to warn ‘separatist forces’

China has announced it will hold military exercises around Taiwan simulating the seizure and blockade of key areas of the island, as a warning against “separatist forces”.

The army, navy, air force and rocket force will be dispatched for the exercises scheduled for Tuesday, which include live-fire exercises, the Chinese military said.

Dubbed “Justice Mission 2025,” the exercises come days after the United States announced the sale of one of its largest batches of weapons to Taiwan. worth $11 billion (£8.2 billion). The move sparked strong protests from Beijing, which in turn sanctioned American defense companies.

Taiwan’s efforts to strengthen its defense this year have also angered Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory.

Taiwan’s presidential office has criticized China’s upcoming exercises, calling them a defiance of international standards.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it detected Chinese planes and ships around Taiwan on Monday morning and deployed its own forces and missile systems to monitor the situation. Its forces are on “high alert” to defend Taiwan and “protect our people,” the ministry said.

In a post on Weibo, China’s Eastern Theater Military Command – in charge of the Taiwan Strait – described the upcoming military exercise as a “shield of justice”.

“All those plotting for independence will be destroyed as soon as they encounter the shield!” the message read.

While China has long called for “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, it also has a law stipulating that it will use “non-peaceful means” to prevent the island’s “secession.”

Beijing has accused Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te of seeking “Taiwan independence.” The president maintains that Taiwan is already a sovereign nation and therefore does not need to officially declare independence.

On Sunday, Lai said in a local television interview that Taiwan must “continue to raise difficulties in order to [China] will never be able to meet the standards” of an invasion.

He also said his administration was determined to “maintain the status quo” and would not provoke China – while adding that peace relies on “real force”.

Polls consistently show that most Taiwanese want the “status quo,” meaning they neither want to unify with China nor formally declare independence.

Since 2022, Beijing has intensified its military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, usually in response to what it sees as threats such as Former US President Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in 2022 And Inauguration of Lai in 2024.

China’s latest live-fire exercise in the Taiwan Strait, held in April, simulated strikes on key ports and energy facilities, the People’s Liberation Army said at the time. Alongside the exercises, the Chinese army released a series of cartoons depicting Lai as a “parasite”.

This week’s military exercises are the first to take place under the leadership of Yang Zhibin, the new head of the Eastern Theater Command who took office in October.

Taiwan is holding its own military exercises, both to prepare its population for an attack and to showcase its defenses to Beijing. This year’s Han Kuang exercise, which took place over 10 days, was the largest and longest to date.

Since taking office, Lai has pledged to increase defense spending and strengthen the island’s defense capabilities in the face of growing tensions with Beijing.

In October, the Taiwanese president announced the construction of a dome-shaped air defense system to guard against “hostile threats” – although he did not explicitly mention China.

This week’s exercises in the Taiwan Strait would also be aimed at deterring “outside the island chain”, the Chinese military said.

Relations between China and Japan have reached their frostiest level in years after Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi suggested last month – in response to a question in parliament – that Japan’s self-defense forces could intervene if China attacked Taiwan.

China protested strongly and warned its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan. Earlier this month, Japan protested against Chinese fighter jets radars locked on Japanese planes while Beijing accused Tokyo of “harassing” its forces during a training exercise.