jasdooit

China, which has conducted encirclement drills around Taiwan, is increasing tensions through ongoing live-fire exercises and even releasing drone footage of Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) stated, “We carried out long-range live-fire drills toward the northern waters of Taiwan Island at 9 a.m. on the 30th and achieved the desired outcomes.” According to AFP, at least 10 rockets were observed being launched from Pingtan in Fujian Province, which is near Taiwan, starting at 9 a.m. on the same day.

China conducted encirclement exercises around Taiwan called “Just Cause 2025” the day prior. This is the first such maneuver in nine months, following “Strike 2025A” held in early April last year. The next day, the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command carried on with the encirclement drills, deploying ground, naval, air, and rocket forces to perform identification, warnings, expulsions, simulated attacks, maritime assaults, air defense, and anti-submarine operations in the northern and southern waters surrounding Taiwan Island.

China is also exerting influence via social media platforms. On the first day of the military exercises surrounding Taiwan, the Chinese armed forces shared a video on their Weibo page displaying the center of Taipei, accompanied by the statement, “We captured this footage using a drone.” The video clearly depicted Taipei’s skyline, including Taipei 101, a well-known landmark and high-rise building. This has been seen as a warning suggesting that China could take control of Taipei’s airspace if it chose to do so. Foreign Minister Wang Yi mentioned during an international conference in Beijing on the 30th, “We must naturally oppose and strongly counter the continuous provocations from pro-independence forces in Taiwan and the significant arms sales to Taiwan by the United States.”

Amid the recent decision by the Donald Trump administration to approve an $11 billion arms deal with Taiwan, equivalent to about 15.81 trillion South Korean won, and the ongoing Sino-Japanese dispute concerning comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae about Taiwan, some interpret this as China increasing its military pressure on Taiwan.

The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense mentioned that the five training areas established by the Chinese military all encompass Taiwan’s territorial waters within 12 nautical miles (22 km), representing the nearest approach to Taiwan since the exercises held by China in August 2022 following then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit. With two additional live-fire training zones introduced by the China Maritime Safety Administration, this exercise is said to be the most extensive drill aimed at Taiwan conducted by China.

Even though China did not use aircraft carrier forces during this exercise, it activated a range of naval and air assets, such as amphibious assault ships, destroyers, frigates, stealth fighters, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense noted the detection of 130 Chinese military aircraft and 22 ships near Taiwan within a 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. on the 30th. The Taiwan Ministry of Transportation and Communications mentioned that 941 flights were impacted by this exercise.