China has commenced large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, accusing its leaders of promoting separatism and pushing the island into war.
The unannounced drills on Tuesday morning have been described as a "stern warning" by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) against Taiwan’s government.
In an official statement, China’s Eastern Theatre Command stated that forces from the PLA Navy, Army, and Rocket Force had been deployed from multiple directions towards Taiwan.
The drills focused on "combat readiness patrols at sea and in the air, seizing comprehensive control, striking maritime and land targets, and imposing blockade controls on key areas and routes."
The Chinese Coast Guard also joined the exercises, conducting what it termed "law-enforcement patrols" close to Taiwan’s main island.
Zhu Anqing, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard, stated, "These drills are concrete actions to exercise legitimate jurisdiction and control over the Island in accordance with the one-China principle."
Taiwan’s defence ministry reported detecting 19 PLA vessels near Taiwan by 6 AM on Tuesday, including the aircraft carrier Shandong.
More than 10 vessels were observed approaching Taiwan’s contiguous zone, located 24 nautical miles (44 km) from the coast. Taiwan responded by deploying its air and naval assets alongside coastal missile systems.
Beijing maintains that Taiwan is Chinese territory and has been bolstering its military capacity to seize the island if necessary. While analysts believe China has not yet attained full military readiness for an invasion, its increasing military pressure and coercive tactics continue to escalate tensions.
Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, stated, "‘Taiwan independence’ means war, and pursuing ‘Taiwan independence’ means pushing the people of Taiwan into a dangerous situation of war."
Taiwan, which functions as a sovereign state with its own government, military, and currency, is recognised as an independent nation by a small number of countries. Its leadership and citizens have consistently rejected Beijing’s claims over the island.
Taiwan’s presidential office spokesperson, Wen Lii, criticised China’s latest manoeuvres, calling them "escalatory behaviour" and "military provocations." Lii linked the drills to recent Chinese military activity near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and the South China Sea.
"China’s wide-ranging drills indicate that its ambitions are not limited to annexing Taiwan, but rather aim to achieve hegemony in the western Pacific," he said.
China’s state-controlled media disseminated a series of propaganda materials, depicting a large-scale military assault on Taiwan, including missile strikes. The campaign also targeted Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, portraying him in derogatory cartoons as a "parasite courting ultimate destruction."
One such cartoon showed him held by chopsticks over a burning Taipei, with an opposition figure, Ko Wen-je, depicted in a cage—an apparent reference to his imprisonment on corruption charges.
China has conducted several military exercises near Taiwan in recent years, frequently in response to actions perceived as separatist or pro-independence.
President Lai, elected in 2024, has taken a firm stance on Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Last month, he labelled China a "foreign hostile force" under Taiwan’s national security laws and introduced measures to curb Beijing’s influence and espionage activities.
Unlike previous exercises, Tuesday’s drills were launched without prior announcement and were explicitly framed as a "punishment" for Taiwan’s leadership.
Military analysts noted that the lack of a designated name for the exercise suggested an attempt by Beijing to "normalise" such operations.
The drills were compared in scale to China’s "Joint Sword" exercises in 2023 and 2024.
Amanda Hsiao, Director at Eurasia Group’s China practice, stated, "This is primarily about Lai’s 13 March speech which Beijing found provocative. The publicity around the exercise likely also has the US in mind—they want to persuade the Trump administration that Lai is a troublemaker and to deter the US from maintaining high levels of support to Taiwan."
The developments come as US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth visits several Asian nations, reaffirming America’s commitment to countering China’s military expansion and deterring any potential invasion of Taiwan.
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