• Drills being held after US approved record 1-time arms sale worth over $11B to Taiwan

ISLAMABAD / ISTANBUL

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.

The exercises are focused on striking mobile ground targets and aim to test the PLA’s ability to conduct precise attacks on key objectives under joint operational conditions, Shi said.

“With vessels and aircraft approaching Taiwan island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services engage in joint assaults to test their joint operations capabilities," he said.

The PLA drills are being held after the Trump administration, early this month, announced eight new arms packages for Taiwan totaling well over $11 billion, in a one-time record sale to Taipei.

Beijing also sanctioned at least 20 US defense firms and 10 senior executives over the arms sale to the island.

It is a stern warning against "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and external interference and a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China's sovereignty and national unity, said Shi, the PLA official.

No details were provided on the duration of the drills.

Beijing warns of ‘head-on blow’

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the drills were “severe punishment against ‘Taiwanese independent separatists’ forces' attempt to seek independence through military buildup.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian accused Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party of turning the island into a “powder keg” and an “ammunition depot” and “destroying peace.”

“The external forces' attempt to use Taiwan to contain China and arm Taiwan will only embolden the Taiwan independence separatists and push the Taiwan Strait towards the danger of military conflict,” Lin warned.

Stressing Taiwan was at the “core of China’s core interests,” Lin said any move to cross the line “will face a resolute head-on blow from China. “Any ill intention to stop China’s reunification is doomed to fail.”

Separately, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said the military exercise is “a legitimate and necessary move to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity,” according to Global Times.

He noted that "Taiwan independence" is “incompatible with peace across the Taiwan Straits,” warning that “seeking independence by relying on foreign forces is destined to fail.”

"We urge relevant countries to abandon the fantasy of 'using Taiwan question to contain China,' cease fanning the flames and stirring up trouble on the Taiwan question, and refrain from challenging China's resolve and will to safeguard its core interests," he added.

According to the PLA, a Chinese military drone also recorded an aerial view of the Taipei 101 skyscraper. “So close, so beautiful, go to Taipei at any time…,” the PLA said on its official account on US social media company X.

Taiwan denounces drills

Taiwan denounced China's war games and said its military is on maximum alert.

The Taiwanese presidential office condemned Chinese military drills, calling them a "unilateral provocation" that "destabilizes regional peace and stability."

"China should immediately stop the irresponsible and provocative actions," it said.

“We strongly condemn the PRC’s irrational provocations and oppose the PLA’s actions that undermine regional peace. Rapid Response Exercises are underway, with forces on high alert to defend the Republic of China and protect our people,” the Defense Ministry said in a post on X.

It added that in response to Chinese “aircraft and naval activity,” Taiwanese forces conducted “Rapid Response Exercises and closely monitored the situation,” noting that the Taiwan Coast Guard “remains on high alert.”

The exercises come amid heightened cross-strait tensions and follow a series of recent military activities by the PLA around Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Monday accused China of being a "troublemaker" and a “threat” to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

“The PLA's show of force was unacceptable to the people of Taiwan and to the international community,” it said, according to the Focus Taiwan News outlet.

It said Beijing was engaging in “a carefully orchestrated two-pronged strategy.”

The drills were launched the day after the Taipei-Shanghai Twin-City Forum, held in an eastern Chinese metropolis.

“On one hand, it talks about getting closer, while on the other, it resorts to military intimidation,” said the MAC.