China to hold drills around Taiwan as ‘stern warning’ to outside forces | Military news

China deployed air, naval and rocket troops to the waters around Taiwan for exercises that its military said were aimed at testing combat readiness and issuing a “stark warning” against “separatist” and “external interference” forces.

Monday’s announcement comes amid Beijing’s anger over the United States’ $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, as well as a statement from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested the Japanese military could get involved if China were to attack the self-ruled island.

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Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to take control of the island by force if necessary.

In a statement, China’s Eastern Theater Military Command said it was sending troops from the army, navy, air force and rocket forces to five areas around Taiwan for its “Just Mission 2025,” which began Monday.

Live-fire exercises will begin Tuesday in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, southwest, southeast and east of the island, he said.

Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command, said activities will focus “on training maritime and air combat readiness patrols, achieving integrated control, closing ports and key areas, and conducting multi-dimensional deterrence.” These exercises serve as “a serious warning to Taiwan Independence separatist forces and external interference forces,” he added.

A separate statement accompanied by a map shows five large areas surrounding the island where “live fire activities will be organized” on Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (00:00-10:00 GMT). “For security reasons, any non-affected vessel or aircraft are advised not to enter the above-mentioned waters and airspace,” the statement said.

The planned drills mark China’s sixth major round of war drills since 2022 – following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan – and were described by state news agency Xinhua as “a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity”.

China’s military said it had deployed fighter jets, bombers, unmanned aerial vehicles and long-range rockets, and would train to strike moving ground targets.

Chinese ships and aircraft will approach Taiwan “in close proximity from different directions” and troops from multiple services will “engage in joint assaults to test their joint operational capabilities,” according to Shi.

Chinese state television added that the exercises would focus on closing the vital deep-water port of Keelung in the north of the island and Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, the island’s largest port city.

While the Chinese military practiced blockading ports around Taiwan in war drills last year, this is the first time it has publicly stated that the drills around the island are aimed at deterring foreign military intervention.

The Taiwanese government condemned the exercises.

A spokesperson for the presidential office urged China not to misunderstand the situation and not jeopardize regional peace, and called on Beijing to immediately end what he called irresponsible provocations.

“In response to Chinese authorities’ disregard for international norms and use of military intimidation to threaten neighboring countries, Taiwan expresses its strong condemnation,” said Karen Kuo, presidential spokesperson.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said two Chinese military aircraft and 11 ships had operated around the island in the past 24 hours, and the island’s military was on high alert and ready to conduct “rapid response exercises.”

This particular exercise is designed to quickly move troops in case China suddenly turns one of its frequent exercises around the island into an attack.

“All members of our armed forces will remain highly vigilant and fully on guard, taking concrete steps to defend the values ​​of democracy and freedom,” he said in a statement.

The Chinese exercises come after the United States announced earlier this month that it had approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, in the largest ever arms program for the island.

The move sparked a protest from China’s Ministry of National Defense and warnings that the military would “take strong measures” in response.

Beijing also imposed sanctions last week on 20 U.S. defense-related companies and 10 executives following the move.

The remarks by Takaichi, the Japanese prime minister, also triggered a surge in Chinese messages highlighting its sovereignist demands. Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Donald Trump in November that Taiwan’s “return to China” after World War II was central to Beijing’s vision of the world order.

Taiwan rejects China’s claimed sovereignty, saying only its people can decide the island’s future.

In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te told Sanli E-Television that the island must continue to increase the cost of aggression and strengthen its indigenous defense capabilities to deter China, emphasizing that peace can only be ensured through force.

“If China sets 2027 as the year to be ready for an invasion of Taiwan, then we have only one choice: continue to increase the difficulty so that China can never reach that standard. Taiwan will naturally remain safe,” Lai said.