China holds second day of large-scale military drills around Taiwan
BEIJING — China’s military on Wednesday said it was continuing a large-scale military exercise around the island of Taiwan.
On the second day of the exercise, units were running drills in the central and southern part of the Taiwan Strait, said the spokesman for the Chinese military’s Eastern Theatre Command, Shi Yi, with the exercise involving precision strikes on simulated key targets.
The exercise was titled “Strait Thunder-2025A,” suggesting that another one would follow later this year. Last year, China held two major military exercises around Taiwan in May and October, titled Joint Sword-2024A and Joint Sword-2024B.
The joint exercise involving the army, navy, air force and missile unit began on Tuesday. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it had been monitoring the movements of Chinese military assets since Saturday.
Late on Wednesday, it said it had observed at least 36 Chinese military aircraft, 21 warships — including an aircraft carrier in the western Pacific — and 10 Chinese coastguard vessels during the day.
Taiwan’s state-run Central News Agency reported that China conducted live-fire, long-range strike drills in relevant waters of the East China Sea, citing reports from China’s state-run China Central Television (CCTV).
The Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that no matter what name the Chinese military gives to unilateral actions that undermine regional peace and stability, “it cannot justify their aggressive, provocative and irresponsible nature.”
Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration released photos on Wednesday showing Taiwanese forces driving away Chinese coastguard vessels near Taiwan.
According to the ministry, transportation routes in the sea and airspace around Taiwan are operating as normal.
A military spokesman dismissed social media posts claiming that a liquefied natural gas tanker was unable to enter a port in southern Taiwan on Tuesday due to the exercises.
Taiwan to stage own simulation
China’s surprise drills this week took place just days before Taiwan’s scheduled exercise from April 5 to April 18.
The computer-assisted command post exercise is set to simulate scenarios involving China’s grey-zone tactics and the potential escalation from drills to an actual invasion of Taiwan.
In addition to regular military exercises, Chinese fighter jets fly almost daily into Taiwan’s air defence zone, usually prompting a response from Taiwan’s Air Force.
China regards Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and has repeatedly threatened to invade it in the past. It has warned other countries, notably the United States, to stop supporting Taiwan, regarding this as interference in China’s domestic affairs.
Democratic Taiwan, with around 23.4 million inhabitants, has had an independent government since 1949.
China sees Taiwan’s government as separatist
Beijing considers Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which has been in power since 2016, to be separatists because it advocates for Taiwanese independence.
However, Lai has stated that he does not seek to formally declare independence.
According to Beijing, the exercise is intended as “a serious warning and an act of containment against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” as Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday.
US and Europe critical of the drills
The U.S. and the European Union criticized China’s exercises in separate statements.
“Once again, China’s aggressive military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region’s security and the world’s prosperity at risk,” said U.S. Department of State’s spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
“In the face of China’s intimidation tactics and destabilizing behavior, the United States’ enduring commitment to our allies and partners, including Taiwan, continues. The United States supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including through force or coercion.”
Meanwhile, the E.U.’s diplomatic arm, the European External Action Service (EEAS), said the dills were “increasing cross-strait tensions.”
“Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are of strategic importance for regional and global security and prosperity,” an EEAS spokesperson said in a brief statement.
“The E.U. has a direct interest in the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. We oppose any unilateral actions that change the status quo by force or coercion. We call on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any actions that may further escalate tensions, which should be resolved through cross-strait dialogue.”
Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung thanked the U.S. for reaffirming U.S. support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and opposing any attempts to change the status quo through force or coercion.