China's People's Liberation Army announced on New Year's Eve that it had "successfully completed" two days of military exercises in the waters off Taiwan. The drills, named "Justice Mission 2025," aimed to assert Beijing's sovereignty over the island, escalating tensions in East Asia. Japan and other nations have expressed concerns over the maneuvers.
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) announced on December 31, 2025, that it had successfully completed the "Justice Mission 2025" military exercises around Taiwan. The two-day drills fully tested the integrated joint operations capabilities of its troops and were intended to assert sovereignty and safeguard territorial integrity.
Senior Capt. Li Xi, spokesperson for the PLA's Eastern Theater Command, stated: "Always on high alert, the troops of the Theater Command will keep strengthening combat readiness with arduous training, resolutely thwart the attempts of 'Taiwan Independence' separatists and external intervention, and firmly safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The announcement, presented in a video with rousing martial music, provided no specifics on what constituted success or the exact conclusion time. The exercises were scheduled for daytime on Monday and Tuesday.
Taiwan, a self-governing island that split from mainland China in 1949 after a civil war, remains Beijing's most sensitive territorial issue. China claims it as sovereign territory and has vowed to retake it by force if necessary. Daily incursions by warplanes and navy vessels have intensified, with exercises scaling up in recent years.
In his New Year's Eve address, President Xi Jinping referred obliquely to Taiwan, saying people on both sides of the strait share "a bond of blood and kinship." He added: "The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable."
The maneuvers were seen as a message to external forces. Japan's Foreign Ministry, on January 1, 2026, called them "an act that escalates tension in the Taiwan Strait" and conveyed concerns to Beijing. It stated: "Japan expects the issues surrounding Taiwan to be resolved peacefully through dialogue, which is a position that the Japanese government has consistently maintained all along. The peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important for the entire international community."
In November, Japan's prime minister indicated she wouldn't rule out military intervention if Taiwan faced a direct PLA attack. The U.S. announced its largest-ever arms package to Taiwan in mid-December, drawing sharp Chinese criticism. Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. expressed deep concern, noting the coercion's implications for the broader Indo-Pacific. U.S. President Donald Trump, however, dismissed worries, citing his good relationship with Xi and China's long history of such exercises.
These responses underscore the global stakes in Taiwan Strait stability.
