Military drills follow Twin Cities talks: What’s the signal?

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — China launched joint military drills around Taiwan on Monday (Dec. 29), deploying army, navy, air force and rocket force units one day after a cross-strait city forum in Shanghai that highlighted the importance of dialogue in lowering tensions. Senior Col. Shi Yi (施毅), spokesman for the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command (東部戰區), announced drills code-named "Justice Mission 2025" (正義使命-2025) spanning five zones around Taiwan.

The operations cover the Taiwan Strait (台灣海峽) and areas to the north, southwest, southeast and east of the island in a move that resembles "Strait Thunder-2025A" conducted earlier this year. The deployment pattern effectively surrounds Taiwan from all directions, with vessels and aircraft approaching from multiple vectors. The Chinese military statement provided no details on the number of participating troops, exercise duration, or type of ships involved. The PLA will hold live-fire drills Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., advising ships and aircraft to avoid designated areas.

Taiwan's Presidential Office (總統府) immediatly condemned the drills as a "blatant challenge" to international law, calling them unilateral military intimidation that threatens regional stability. Spokesperson Kuo Ya-hui (郭雅慧) said that Taiwan's military and national security agencies had advance knowledge of the Chinese exercises through intelligence monitoring. Taiwan's military raised alert levels and deployed monitoring assets to track the exercises. Taiwan's defense forces were fully prepared to ensure the safety of its citizens and national security, Kuo added.

China described the drills as testing joint combat capabilities through sea-air combat readiness patrols, seizing comprehensive control, blockading key ports and areas, and conducting all-dimensional deterrence operations outside the island chain. In a statement, Shi called the drills a warning against "Taiwan independence separatist forces and external interference," describing them as "legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China's sovereignty and maintain national unity."

While the Chinese military likely had planned this military display for several weeks, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an's (蔣萬安) visit to Shanghai, where he attended the Twin Cities Forum (雙城論壇) between sister cities Taipei and Shanghai, provided the timing — the drills serve as a clear reminder that China doesn't want to be perceived as weak on global affairs. China did not specify which countries constitute "external interference forces," though analysts note that Beijing typically uses this phrase to criticize the United States and countries in the region that question its military buildup. Beijing has used similar language to condemn U.S. arms sales and military cooperation with Taiwan.

Taiwan accused China of conducting "continuous harassment and coercion" around Japan and the Philippines in recent months. Kuo urged Beijing to "act rationally and with restraint" and to immediately stop "irresponsible, provocative behavior." Political observers in Taiwan viewed Chiang's forum attendance as a goodwill gesture from the main opposition Kuomintang (國民黨), which traditionally favors closer ties with Beijing, in contrast to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's more cautious stance toward China. Whether China's military response will strengthen the ruling party's argument for defense over dialogue — or prove the opposition's case that engagement is necessary to reduce tensions — remains the central question of Taiwan's domestic politics. ◼