China Launches New Drills Around Taiwan, Regional Tensions Rise

China is targeting Taiwan with a short but intense series of military exercises around the island. On December 29, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched the two-day “Justice Mission 2025,” practicing a blockade of Taiwan and cutting Taipei off from its air and sea links to Japan and the Philippines.

The exercises showcase Beijing’s growing willingness to display force across the broader region as part of its coercion campaign against Taipei.

Drills Intended to Showcase ‘Regional Deterrence’

The drills, which appear to cover more territory than previous exercises, are intended to practice blockading key ports and controlling access points to the island’s territorial waters, according to the PLA Eastern Theater Command. Notably, the PLA also called for the drills to achieve “all-dimensional deterrence outside the island chain” for the first time. The statement highlighted Beijing’s desire to prevent any American or allied forces from reaching the island during a crisis.

As of Monday afternoon, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported that 14 Chinese naval ships, 89 military aircraft, and an amphibious strike force were present around the island, though they had not yet entered its territorial waters. The drill also featured the deployment of 14 Chinese Coast Guard vessels intended to practice search and seizure procedures. At the same time, the Eastern Theater Command released an AI-generated video of futuristic military technologies, including the “robotic wolf” models displayed at Beijing’s latest military parade, storming the island.  

Chinese Threats Go Beyond Taiwan to Target Japan and the U.S.

The drills come as Beijing has ramped up its efforts to isolate Taiwan by targeting its closest regional partners, particularly Japan and the United States. Following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statement that Japan would consider deploying its military should China threaten Taiwan by force, Beijing imposed a range of trade restrictions on Japanese goods, warned tourists against visiting the country, and initiated a stand-off around the disputed Senkaku Islands. Following these measures, a Chinese government mouthpiece openly called for a nuclear attack against Japan — a move that played a role in Tokyo’s approval of a record-high defense budget on December 26. The budget calls for more long-range missiles and a range of unmanned systems for homeland defense.

The drills also follow Washington’s announcement of a weapons package worth $11.1 billion for Taipei that includes a range of capabilities intended to stymie a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan. In response to the sale’s approval, Beijing announced sanctions against 20 American firms and 10 individuals involved in the deal, including Northrop Grumman, Boeing’s defense-focused division, and Palmer Luckey, the founder of Anduril Industries, a major drone manufacturing start-up.   

Washington Should Work With Allies and Partners to Ensure Regional Security

China has become increasingly clear about its objectives, which include enacting a de facto blockade of Taiwan maintained by the Chinese Coast Guard and backed by military force to prevent U.S. or allied forces from reaching the island. The United States and its allies and partners must be equally clear in their determination to deter such a campaign, including establishing regional stockpiles of key resources such as energy, planning convoy operations, and hardening the island’s resilience.

Moreover, Washington should not be deterred by Chinese provocations and continue to greenlight additional foreign military sales packages to undergird Taipei’s efforts to raise defense spending while reforming America’s defense industrial base to surge weaponry in the event of a crisis.

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