China's military moved army, naval, air force and rocket force units around Taiwan on Monday (Dec 29) for its "Justice Mission 2025" drills, aimed at testing combat readiness and delivering a "stern warning" against moves toward Taiwanese independence, Reuters reported.
The Eastern Theatre Command announced the drills will involve live-fire exercises on Tuesday, in a statement containing a graphic demarcating five zones surrounding the island that will be under sea and air space restrictions for 10 hours from 8.30am.
This marks China's sixth major round of war games since 2022 after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-governed island, and follow a rise in Chinese rhetoric over Beijing's territorial claims after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo, according to Reuters.