China’s People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command announced on Tuesday that it had begun exercises around the Taiwan Strait for the second straight day.
The military said high-calibre weapons, including navy destroyers and bombers, were a part of the operations on water and in air to the south and north of Taiwan’s main island.
It also said that the operations include warning, exclusion and anti-submarine manoeuvres.
On Monday, officials in Beijing had said that “the military flew bombers over waters east of Taiwan’s mainland and tested its sea-air joint operation capability to overwhelm the enemy”.
A spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theatre Command said late Monday that the drills are a stern warning to those supporting “Taiwan’s independence” and separatist forces against external interference.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese aviation authorities say Chinese authorities have restricted aircraft from entering airspace in seven different areas during the ongoing drills.
They said the restrictions are likely to affect more than “100,000 passengers on international flights scheduled to take off or land at airports in Taiwan and about 6,000 people flying between Taiwan's main island and remote islands”.
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The ongoing drills, according to experts, are aimed at keeping Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te “in check”, whom Beijing sees as pro-independence. The exercises also follow the US administration’s approval of an $11-billion arms sales package to Taiwan.
Some observers believe that China is preparing an invasion of Taiwan by or before the end of 2027 since Beijing has aggressively enhanced its military with the rapid advancement in warfare capabilities.
Meanwhile, Beijing’s tensions with neighbouring Japan have also escalated in recent times after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s “controversial” comments on Taiwan.
On Tuesday, Japanese Coast Guard officials said that “Chinese Navy patrol ships were spotted in the contested zones outside Japanese waters on a record 356 days in 2025, exceeding last year’s 355”.
They said four Chinese government vessels were confirmed navigating in the contested zones on early Tuesday morning.
Senior Japan Coast Guard official Sakamoto Seishiro said that the situation around the contested Senkaku Islands has become increasingly tense in recent times.
Sakamoto added that the Coast Guard will continue to respond calmly and resolutely to safeguard the waters while closely coordinating with concerned organisations.
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