Overview
- The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said the two-day live-fire exercise, dubbed Mission Justice 2025, concluded successfully around Taiwan.
- Taiwan’s defense ministry tracked 77 Chinese aircraft and 25 navy and coast guard vessels in 24 hours, with 35 aircraft crossing the strait’s median line.
- Taiwan’s coast guard reported Chinese warships pulling back but lingering outside the 24‑nautical‑mile line, keeping an emergency maritime response center active.
- Xi Jinping used a New Year address to state unification is inevitable, as Beijing framed the drills as punishment for pro‑independence forces and external interference.
- President Lai Ching‑te condemned the maneuvers as extremely provocative and vowed a firm defense, saying China failed to impose a blockade on the self‑ruled island.