Defense & Security

China Announces Military Drill Encircling Taiwan

The area of the military exercise involving live-fire drills, as announced by the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, is shown on a map obtained from the theater’s social media.

By Keiichiro Azuma / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

14:31 JST, December 29, 2025

BEIJING – A spokesperson for the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, which oversees Taiwan, announced on Monday that it had commenced the “Justice Mission 2025” military drills, which encircle Taiwan.

The spokesperson stated that the drills involve the Army, Navy, Air Force and Rocket Force conducting integrated combat training and blockading key ports, asserting that the drills serve as a “stern warning to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces and external interference forces.”

Live-fire military exercises will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday (9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Japan time) at five locations: the Taiwan Strait and the northern, eastern, southwestern, and southern parts of Taiwan Island, according to the announcement.