China announced that it will conduct “large-scale” military exercises around Taiwan, involving live-fire drills across five areas at sea and in the air near the self-governing island, which Beijing claims as its own.
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In a statement, Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said: “Starting 29 December, the Eastern Theater Command will deploy army, navy, air force, and rocket forces to carry out joint military exercises under the codename ‘Justice Mission 2025.’”
A separate statement included a map showing the five large zones surrounding the island where “live-fire activities” will take place from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM local time (00:00–10:00 GMT Tuesday). For safety reasons, the statement advised that no unrelated ships or aircraft enter the designated areas.
The display of force comes weeks after tensions between China and Japan escalated, following comments suggesting potential Japanese support for Taiwan in the event of a future armed conflict.
It also follows the latest round of U.S. arms sales to Taipei, which prompted Beijing to react angrily, imposing sanctions last week on 20 U.S. defense companies.
Shi Yi stated that this week’s drills serve as “a strong warning to separatist forces advocating Taiwan independence, and represent a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity.” (Agencies)
