China Conducts Major Military Exercises Around Taiwan 

In its largest military exercise in nearly three decades, China demonstrated its growing capacity to blockade Taiwan and project power throughout the First Island Chain of Pacific archipelagos that run from Japan to Indonesia and encompass the South and East China Seas. The drills, which began on December 9 and ended on December 12, were unannounced and further erode regional security, requiring the United States to prepare for a broad range of contingencies.  

Unprecedented Exercise Demonstrates China’s Power Projection Capabilities  

For the first time, the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Theater Commands of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) operated together, pressuring Taiwan and its partners with combined arms drills across a wide area. During these exercises, China deployed around 60 PLA Navy warships and 30 China Coast Guard vessels in areas ranging from the South China Sea to Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, complementing the 134-plus PLA warplanes operating in the island’s vicinity across the three-day period. 

While avoiding live-fire drills, the Chinese forces practiced attacking foreign ships, blockading sea routes, and intercepting merchant vessels. Notably, the PLA Navy also created two barriers southeast of Taiwan to restrict entry into the First Island Chain.  

The PLA also closed seven airspace zones east of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces after declaring them no-fly zones the day before. The closures, which remained in place for the exercise’s duration, spanned over 800 miles and ranged from Taiwan’s southwest to its northeast, facing the Ryukyu Islands and Kyushu. While China has closed airspace zones in previous drills, the seven this week comprise the largest area yet.  

In response, Taiwan’s defense ministry activated “combat readiness exercises,” raised its alertness level to the maximum, and dispatched planes and ships to monitor and intercept China’s movements.  

China’s Latest Exercise Follows Previous Intimidation Efforts 

The Chinese military exercises occurred shortly after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te  visited Hawaii, Guam, and several Pacific Island countries to shore up support from international partners. They also follow announcements from Japan and the Philippines that both nations will host U.S. missile systems on a semipermanent basis, a decision that China’s foreign ministry denounced as “disturb[ing] regional peace and stability.  

China’s large-scale military exercises around Taiwan have become common responses to perceived provocations, such as then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in 2022, Lai’s inauguration in May 2024, and his National Day speech in October 2024. In a statement on December 13, China’s defense ministry declared that China “will not be soft in its fight against independence and for reunification.” However, in a reversal from previous exercises, Beijing did not heavily publicize the drills or assign them an official operation name, likely to test the reaction of Taiwan’s allies and partners. 

Washington Must Deepen Cooperation With Regional Allies 

To respond to China’s exercises, which are intended to wage psychological warfare on Taiwan’s population and deter its allies and partners, the United States should denounce these drills as provocative and destabilizing.   

Moreover, the United States should continue Taiwan Strait transits following China’s drills to demonstrate the limits of Beijing’s control over the waterway. Washington should also rely on its newly inaugurated trilateral maritime dialogue with Japan and the Philippines to issue a joint statement criticizing the drills. This announcement should coincide with plans to conduct enhanced intelligence exchanges with these allies as well as Taiwan regarding the exercises to demonstrate to Beijing that its provocations will only deepen cooperation between Washington and its regional partners. 

Jack Burnham is a research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Reece Breaux is an intern. For more analysis from Jack and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Jack on X @JackBurnham802. Follow Reece on X @reece_breaux. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.