--- title: "China Launches Snap “Warning” Drills Around Taiwan Simulating A Total Blockade" description: "A key part of the latest maneuvers is dissuading international “interference” in any future Chinese move against Taiwan. A key part of the latest maneuvers is dissuading international “interference” in any future Chinese move against Taiwan." date: "2025-12-29" modified: "2025-12-29" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/news-features/china-launches-snap-warning-drills-around-taiwan-simulating-a-total-blockade" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Around The Globe" - "China" - "Indo-Pacific" - "Navies" - "News & Features" - "People's Liberation Army Air Force (China)" - "People's Liberation Army Navy (China)" - "Republic Of China Air Force (Taiwan)" - "Sea" - "Taiwan" --- # China Launches Snap “Warning” Drills Around Taiwan Simulating A Total Blockade ![TAIWAN - DECEMBER 29: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - TAIWAN'S MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE/HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) A screen grab from a video shows fighter jet as Taiwanâs Ministry of National Defense said the islandâs armed forces conducted rapid response exercises on Monday in response to aircraft and naval activity by Chinaâs Peopleâs Liberation Army in Taiwan on December 29, 2025. In a statement posted on social media, the ministry said the armed forces closely monitored the situation and carried out joint sea and air operations involving all service branches.The ministry said Taiwanâs Coast Guard also remained on high alert as part of the response. No further details on the scale or duration of the activities were immediately provided. China launched joint military drills Monday around Taiwan in a stern warning against 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces and external interference, according to state-run media.The Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) dispatched fighter jets, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in coordination with long-range rocket forces to conduct drills code-named 'Justice Mission 2025' in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, southwest, southeast and east of Taiwan Island, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the theater command.]() *Photo by Taiwanese Ministry of Defense/Anadolu via Getty Images* China’s latest live-fire drills around Taiwan include a simulated blockade of the island — a strong possibility should Beijing seek to retake what it describes as a breakaway province that must eventually be reunited. As well as potentially reflecting, at least in part, Beijing’s existing [planning for a future invasion]() of Taiwan, the exercises come at a time of notable tensions between China and the United States, as well as Japan. ![TAIWAN - DECEMBER 29: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - TAIWAN'S MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE/HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) A screen grab from a video shows Taiwan Coast Guard personnel as Taiwanâs Ministry of National Defense said the islandâs armed forces conducted rapid response exercises on Monday in response to aircraft and naval activity by Chinaâs Peopleâs Liberation Army in Taiwan on December 29, 2025. In a statement posted on social media, the ministry said the armed forces closely monitored the situation and carried out joint sea and air operations involving all service branches.The ministry said Taiwanâs Coast Guard also remained on high alert as part of the response. No further details on the scale or duration of the activities were immediately provided. China launched joint military drills Monday around Taiwan in a stern warning against 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces and external interference, according to state-run media.The Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) dispatched fighter jets, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in coordination with long-range rocket forces to conduct drills code-named 'Justice Mission 2025' in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, southwest, southeast and east of Taiwan Island, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the theater command. (Photo by Taiwan's Ministry of Defense/Anadolu via Getty Images)]() *A screen grab from a video shows Taiwan Coast Guard personnel conducting rapid-response exercises in response to aircraft and naval activity by the PLA on December 29, 2025. *Photo by Taiwanese Ministry of Defense/Anadolu via Getty Images** This morning, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command sent elements from its navy, air force, rocket force, and coast guard to surround Taiwan, as part of a surprise exercise called Justice Mission 2025. The maneuvers began less than an hour after they had been officially announced, and assets said to be involved include destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers, drones, and long-range missiles. The photo at the top of this story, showing a PLA [J-16 Flanker]() multirole fighter, was released today by the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, [reportedly obtained]() via the targeting pod of a Taiwanese F-16. It may, however, originate from an earlier occasion. https://twitter.com/ChinaMilBugle/status/2005591693568168297?s=20 https://twitter.com/new27brigade/status/2005610064040878430?s=20 The PLA Eastern Theater Command released a video on its official Weibo account that purportedly shows a view of the Taipei 101 skyscraper, as seen from a drone. https://twitter.com/HenriKenhmann/status/2005644957743566956?s=20 Most significantly, the live-fire drills involve a simulated blockade of major Taiwanese ports. As we have [described in the past](), an aerial and [maritime blockade]() of Taiwan could potentially be an attractive option for Beijing to use its hard power, with the aim of choking the island into submission, while holding back from a full-scale invasion. At the same time, Justice Mission 2025 has involved training for other kinds of contingencies, including attacking different types of maritime targets, and responding to international “interference” — a tacit reference to dealing with the U.S. military and other nations that might be expected to come to Taiwan’s aid in a crisis. ![A Taiwanese air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet takes off at Hsinchu Air Base in Hsinchu on December 29, 2025. China launched "major" military exercises around Taiwan on December 29, in what it called a "stern warning" involving live-fire drills in waters and airspace near the island. Taiwan said Monday it had detected four Chinese coastguard ships near the island's waters. (Photo by CHENG Yu-chen / AFP via Getty Images)]() *A Taiwanese Mirage 2000 fighter takes off at Hsinchu Air Base in Hsinchu on December 29, 2025. *Photo by CHENG Yu-chen / AFP** In the PLA’s words, its forces are conducting their drills “in close proximity” to Taiwan, to test “sea-air coordination and precise target hunting and neutralization,” including attacks on submarines and other maritime targets. As of Monday afternoon, local time, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said it had detected 28 PLA Navy and coast guard ships, including two that entered Taiwan’s contiguous zone. https://twitter.com/OfficialBen_L/status/2005640008808501565?s=20 At least 89 PLA aircraft were also reported, the largest daily tally for more than a year. In a break from previous exercises, a significant number of PLA aircraft reportedly had their transponders switched on, meaning that they were visible on flight-tracking software, reflecting Beijing’s apparent decision to conduct the drills more in the public eye. https://twitter.com/ChinaMilBugle/status/2005622491625222593 Taiwan also stated that a formation of four amphibious assault ships, with embarked helicopters, was spotted 160 nautical miles west of Taiwan’s southern tip. Compared to previous large-scale exercises, Justice Mission 2025 appears to be making use of a larger area, according to [published maps of air and maritime warning areas](). At least some of these zones also overlap with Taiwan’s territorial border, which extends to 12 nautical miles off its coast. Col. Shi Yi, the spokesperson for the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, [described]() the exercise as “a stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces.” ![A Chinese ship is seen in waters near Pingtan island, the closest point to Taiwan, in eastern China's Fujian province on December 29, 2025. China launched live-fire drills around Taiwan on December 29 that it said would simulate a blockade of the self-ruled island's key ports, prompting Taipei to condemn Beijing's "military intimidation". (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP via Getty Images)]() *A Chinese ship is seen in waters near Pingtan island, the closest point to Taiwan, in eastern China’s Fujian province on December 29, 2025. *Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP** Beijing has also issued messages intended for U.S. consumption. In particular, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian claimed that unnamed “external parties” were pushing the region closer to war. “Any sinister schemes to obstruct China’s reunification are doomed to fail,” Lin added. More pointedly, China’s Ministry of Defense said today that “relevant countries” should “abandon illusions of using Taiwan to contain China.” For its part, Taiwan has condemned the latest Chinese exercises. Taipei accused Beijing of escalating tensions and undermining regional peace. In response to the PLA maneuvers, Taiwan said that it dispatched “appropriate forces” to respond and conduct counter-combat-readiness exercises of its own. https://twitter.com/MoNDefense/status/2005598441045709306 “Defending democracy and freedom is no provocation, and the existence of the Republic of China \[Taiwan’s formal name\] is not an excuse for aggressors to disrupt the status quo,” the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said. https://twitter.com/MoNDefense/status/2005507571529154833?s=20 The backdrop to Justice Mission 2025, of course, is Beijing’s aspiration to reunify Taiwan with the mainland. Many have floated 2027 — which also marks the centenary of the founding of the PLA — as the year China could be capable of invading the island, including U.S. officials. While the Chinese leadership has expressed its preference for a unification achieved through peaceful means, the PLA has also been instructed *to be prepared* to conduct a successful invasion of Taiwan no later than 2027. Starting from ‘island encirclement’ drills by [H-6 bombers]() from 2016, when Taiwan’s independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen took office, China’s [gray-zone]() operations directed against the island have been progressively stepped up to [frequent incursions]() into its southwestern corner of the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) since 2020. Another significant turning point was the August 2022 visit to Taiwan by a U.S. congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This provided Beijing with [further justification]() to escalate. Significant numbers of PLA aircraft were [sortied]() over the tacitly agreed median line of the Taiwan Strait while warships sailed into its contiguous zone. https://twitter.com/TaiwanMonitor/status/2005501356094927073 Justice Mission 2025 is now the sixth major PLA military exercise targeting Taiwan since Pelosi’s visit. On the one hand, large-scale military maneuvers, and especially live-fire exercises, are a critical element of routine readiness training for the PLA. On the other hand, Beijing has frequently timed these maneuvers, or otherwise promoted them, in response to perceived acts of provocation by Taiwan or the United States. With that in mind, it’s likely no coincidence that the apparent snap drills come soon after the U.S. government [approved]() a record $11-billion arms package for Taiwan. This includes offensive as well as defensive equipment — including additional examples of the [High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)]() — which has long been a particular issue for China. https://twitter.com/MoNDefense/status/1921864901456261290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1921864901456261290%7Ctwgr%5E70d9621658e5bb09d8ab0320c48f7493fe0ebe9f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Fland%2Fchina-has-modified-these-trucks-as-himars-lookalikes There has also been a notable uptick in critical articles in Chinese state media in recent days regarding the U.S. position toward the so-called ‘First Island Chain.’ The First Island Chain is a boundary defined by archipelagos opposite mainland East Asia, extending from the southern end of the Japanese home islands all the way to the South China Sea. For long, the United States has highlighted the strategic importance of defending the First Island Chain against primarily Chinese aggression. ![]() *A Pentagon map showing the geographic boundaries of the First and Second Island Chains. *U.S. Department of Defense** Beijing has also voiced displeasure with recent statements from Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who has called for increased defense spending to counter what he described as China’s “intensifying” threats. Japan, too, has been highlighted by Beijing, specifically after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her country would likely become militarily involved if China were to attack Taiwan. As such, the timing for a high-profile military exercise of this kind is very much right, as far as Beijing is concerned. ![The Chinese flag (C) is seen on Pingtan island, the closest point to Taiwan, in eastern China's Fujian province on December 29, 2025. China launched live-fire drills around Taiwan on December 29 that it said would simulate a blockade of the self-ruled island's key ports, prompting Taipei to condemn Beijing's "military intimidation". (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP via Getty Images)]() *The Chinese flag is seen on Pingtan island, the closest point to Taiwan, in eastern China’s Fujian province, on December 29, 2025. *Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP** It is notable, however, that on this occasion the signaling as well as the scenarios being practiced focus not only on dealing with Taiwan, but also deterring international involvement, something that is now being referenced more explicitly by Beijing. Speaking after a major exercise in April of this year, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth [said]() that “America is committed to sustaining robust, ready, and credible deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, including across the Taiwan Strait.” Now, with the PLA’s second major exercise during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, Beijing will be keeping a close eye on Washington’s response to the drills. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()