China to hold military drills near Taiwan, warns “separatist forces”

China has announced that it will hold military exercises around Taiwan to simulate seizing and blocking key areas in Taiwan to warn “separatist forces.”

China’s military said it would send its army, navy, air force and rocket force to take part in drills scheduled for Tuesday that will include live-fire drills.

The exercise, codenamed “Justice Mission 2025,” comes days after the United States announced the sale of one of its largest weapons packages to Taiwan Valued at $11bn (£8.2bn). The move prompted an outcry from Beijing, which in turn sanctioned U.S. defense companies.

Taiwan’s efforts to beef up its defenses this year have also angered Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory.

Taiwan’s presidential office criticized China’s upcoming drills, calling them a challenge to international norms.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it had spotted Chinese aircraft and ships around the island on Monday morning and had deployed its own troops and missile systems to monitor the situation. The Defense Ministry said its forces were on “high alert” to defend Taiwan and “protect our people.”

The Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, which is responsible for the Taiwan Strait, posted on Weibo that the upcoming military drills were a “shield of justice.”

“Anyone who seeks independence will be destroyed when encountering a shield!” the post read.

Although China has long called for “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, it also has a legal provision that will use “non-peaceful means” to prevent Taiwan’s “secession.”

Beijing accuses Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te of promoting “Taiwan independence.” The president insists that Taiwan is already a sovereign nation and therefore there is no need to formally declare independence.

In an interview with local television on Sunday, Lai said Taiwan needs to “continue to raise the difficulty level so that (China) never reaches” the standards for an invasion.

He also said his government was committed to “maintaining the status quo” and not angering China – though he added that peace relied on “real strength”.

Opinion polls consistently show that a majority of Taiwanese people want to maintain the “status quo,” meaning they want neither unification with China nor a formal declaration of independence.

Since 2022, Beijing has stepped up military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, often in response to perceived threats, e.g. Former US Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan in 2022 and Jimmy Lai will take office in 2024.

China held its last live-fire drill in the Taiwan Strait in April, simulating attacks on major ports and energy facilities, the People’s Liberation Army said at the time. As the exercise progressed, the Chinese military Released a series of cartoons depicting Lai as a “parasite”.

This week’s military exercise is the first held under the leadership of the new commander of the Eastern Theater Command Yang Zhibin, who took office in October.

Taiwan holds its own military exercises both to prepare its population for an attack and to demonstrate its defense capabilities to Beijing. This year’s Hanguang exercise lasted more than 10 days. The biggest and longest one yet.

Since taking office, Jimmy Lai has vowed to increase defense spending and bolster Taiwan’s defense capabilities to deal with growing tensions with Beijing.

In October, Taiwan’s president announced the establishment of dome air defense system Guard against “hostile threats” – although he did not explicitly mention China.

China’s military said this week’s drills in the Taiwan Strait would also be aimed at deterrence “beyond the island chain”.

Japanese leader Takaichi Sanae said in response to a parliamentary question last month that the Japan Self-Defense Forces May intervene if China attacks Taiwan.

China has strongly protested and warned citizens to avoid traveling to Japan. Earlier this month, Japan protested against Chinese fighter jets Radar locked on Japanese aircraft Beijing has accused Tokyo of “harassing” its troops during training.