China conducts live ammunition military exercises around Taiwan for second day

China’s The People’s Liberation Army held a second day of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan Tuesday, unleashing a live-fire show of force as part of what it called “Mission Justice 2025” to demonstrate its ability to deter outside support for the island it claims as part of its sovereign territory.

Taiwanese officials said some Chinese live ammunition had landed closer to the island than before.

The maneuvers increased tensions around the Taiwan Strait in late 2025, but their impact extended beyond military pressure on daily life. The Civil Aviation Administration of Taiwan was informed that seven temporary “danger zones” had been created around the strait. Schedules at Taiwan’s four international airports showed as of Tuesday afternoon that more than 150 international and domestic flights had revised schedules, delays or cancellations.

Xinhua, China’s official news agency, published a commentary late Monday saying the exercises sent an unequivocal message: Beijing is always ready to prevent anything that attempts to separate Taiwan from China. Each escalation, he said, would result in stronger countermeasures.

“By currying favor with the United States through obsequious gestures of loyalty and promoting arms purchases, the DPP is tying the entire island of Taiwan to its catastrophic secessionist chariot, in defiance of public opinion,” he wrote, referring to Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command sent destroyers, frigates, fighters and bombers to the waters north and south of the island to test its capability in sea-air coordination and blockade. Its ground forces conducted long-range live-fire exercises in the waters to the north of the island. They also conducted live-fire training alongside a simulated long-range joint strike with air, naval and missile units in Taiwan’s southern waters, achieving what command spokesman Li Xi called “the desired effects.”

Hsieh Jih-sheng, deputy chief of staff for intelligence at Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, said some of the 27 rockets detected in waters near Taiwan fell within its 24 nautical mile (44 kilometer) line. “The shell landing points were definitely closer to Taiwan than in the past,” he said. “It’s a message he deliberately wants to convey.”

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said Tuesday his territory would act responsibly, without escalating the conflict or provoking disputes. He condemned the exercises.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it detected 130 aircraft, including fighters and bombers, 14 military ships and eight other official vessels around the island between 6 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday. Its forces continued to monitor and deployed aircraft, naval ships and coastal missile systems in response. Ninety Chinese planes crossed the median line of the strait. A Chinese military balloon was also spotted, the statement said.

The ministry later said it detected 71 aircraft, 13 military ships and 15 coast guard and official vessels as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, in addition to four other warships in the western Pacific. In total, 941 flights were affected by these exercises, the press release specifies.

“The military power is not necessarily the strongest, but the scale of the exercises has each time become larger than the previous one,” Hsieh said. He accused Chinese forces of trying to influence public morale and undermine confidence in Taiwan’s military and government.

China has vowed to seize the island, by force if necessary. Beijing sends fighter jets and warships to the island almost daily.

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said the exercises were a stern warning to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and external forces, without naming any countries.

He criticized Lai’s administration for what it called bowing to external forces and pursuing independence, saying it was the root cause of disrupting the status quo across the Strait and escalating tensions.

Last week, Beijing imposed sanctions on 20 US defense-related companies and 10 executives, following Washington’s announcement of large-scale arms sales to Taiwan, valued at more than $10 billion.

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Under U.S. law, Washington is required to help Taipei in its defense, a point that has become increasingly contentious with China over the years.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said that although he was not informed in advance about the military exercise, he was not particularly worried about it either. He touted his “excellent relations” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and suggested he did not think Xi would attack Taiwan.

The Taiwan issue has also worsened Sino-Japanese tensions. Beijing expressed anger over a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi saying its military could become involved if China took action against the democratically ruled island. There is widespread suspicion of Japan in China, dating back generations, when Imperial Japan brutally took control of parts of China in the years before World War II.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi castigated the “independence forces” of Japan and Taiwan.

“Japan, which launched the war of aggression against China, not only does not think deeply about the many crimes it has committed, but its current leaders also openly challenge China’s territorial sovereignty, the historical conclusions of World War II and the post-war international order,” he said at an event in Beijing on Tuesday.

China, Wang added, “must be very vigilant against the resurgence of Japanese militarism.”

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when the Communist Party rose to power in Beijing following a civil war. Defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan, which subsequently transitioned from martial law to a multi-party democracy.

Fueling tensions, China’s Eastern Theater Command released a series of images and videos online containing provocative language throughout the exercises. He released video on Tuesday of live ammunition fired from ships and a ground launcher.

Chen Wen-chin, president of Taiwan’s Keelung District Fishermen’s Association, said the group began broadcasting hourly radio broadcasts starting Monday to inform fishermen of the location of the Chinese drills, urging them to avoid danger.

“Chinese military exercises have prevented fishermen from fishing, which is their livelihood,” Chen said. “The inability to fish has had a significant impact on them and caused economic losses. »