China’s military has announced a fresh round of joint exercises around Taiwan less than two weeks after the U.S. approved one of the largest-ever arms packages for sale to the island.
The drills—dubbed “Justice Mission 2025″—involves air, navy, and rocket forces, said Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. He said the training would take place in the Taiwan Strait as well as to the north, east, southwest, southeast of the island.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on X: “We strongly condemn the [People’s Republic of China’s] irrational provocations and oppose the PLA’s actions that undermine regional peace.”
Why It Matters
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as as its own, although the Communist Party in Beijing has never ruled the island since coming to power in the Chinese mainland in 1949. Taipei, meanwhile, counts the United States as its strongest international backer and its main arms supplier.
President Donald Trump has sought to stabilize economic and military ties between the world’s two largest powers, having hailed his “very good” relationship with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. But earlier this month, Beijing condemned Washington for approving weapons sales to Taiwan worth over $11 billion and last week sanctioned 20 American defense companies and 10 executives over the deals.
Update 12/29/25, 2 a.m. ET: This breaking news story was updated with additional information.
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