On the second day of the most large-scale military exercise ever, China launched rockets into the sea around northern and southern Taiwan, pretending to blockade the self-ruled island. The operation comprised live-fire activities, world’s top naval forces, and joint air and sea movements in the vicinity of Taiwan.
China’s Eastern Theatre Command said the live-firing drills would continue for nearly 10 hours, until 6 p.m. local time, impacting the airspace and waters across five designated zones surrounding Taiwan. The military released footage appearing to show a PCH-191 mobile long-range rocket launcher firing into the sea from mainland China.
Naval and air force units were deployed to rehearse strikes on maritime and aerial targets, anti-submarine warfare, and coordinated assault operations to Taiwan’s north and south. The drills, dubbed “Justice Mission 2025,” mark Beijing’s largest exercises by geographic scope and the closest yet to Taiwan.
The war games began less than two weeks after the United States announced a record $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, a move Beijing strongly opposed. Analysts say the timing underscores China’s intent to signal its growing military capability and resolve.
A senior Taiwanese security official said Taipei is closely monitoring whether China will escalate by firing missiles over the island, as it did during drills in 2022 following then–U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit. The official added that China appears to be practising strikes on land-based targets, including U.S.-made HIMARS rocket systems deployed by Taiwan.
China’s PCH-191 rocket system, which has a strike range comparable to HIMARS, was prominently featured in recent Chinese military parades. State media claim it is capable of hitting targets across Taiwan.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te mentioned the island’s frontline troops stay ready to defend but highlighted that Taipei is not looking to raise tensions. The island’s defence ministry verified that live-fire drills were being held in the north of the island on Tuesday morning and that some of the fragments landed in the contiguous zone of the island up to 24 nautical miles out.
The military training has brought about air and sea travel disruptions. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Taiwan, 11 out of the 14 routes from Taipei were affected, however, no international flights were completely cancelled. The two routes to the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu were closed, and this led to 6,000 passengers being impacted. To prevent their planes from getting too busy, some international airlines changed their flight paths through the quiet routes directed towards Japan.
The coast guard of Taiwan was able to spot 14 Chinese coast guard boats working within the island’s contiguous zone, which resulted in very close encounters between the Taiwanese and Chinese ships. Taiwan reported the presence of 130 Chinese military aircraft and 22 navy and coast guard vessels in close vicinity of the island during the last 24 hours.
The Chinese media also pointed out the first deployment of the Type 075 amphibious assault ship, which can lift off helicopters, land crafts, amphibious tanks, and armed vehicles at the same time—by that marking the growth of the Chinese military’s expeditionary capacity.
The Eastern Theatre Command stated that the exercises were aimed at testing the combined air and sea operations, which included a mock blockade of Taiwan’s major ports—Keelung in the north and Kaohsiung in the south.
A recent draft Pentagon report cited by Reuters said China aims to be ready to “fight and win” a war over Taiwan by 2027, despite questions over military readiness following corruption purges within the People’s Liberation Army. Analysts warn that any blockade of Taiwan would severely disrupt global trade, with trillions of dollars in shipping passing through the Taiwan Strait each year.
