Overview
- China’s Eastern Theater Command mobilized army, navy, air force and rocket units for joint exercises featuring live-fire and simulated strikes, anti-submarine operations and regional air-superiority training.
- Taiwan’s defense ministry said it detected 89 PLA aircraft along with multiple warships and coast guard vessels operating near the island on the first day.
- Authorities published maps of five restricted training zones, while Taiwanese officials reported activity spanning seven areas and advised unrelated ships and aircraft to avoid the zones.
- The exercises included drills to block key ports such as Keelung and Kaohsiung, and China launched coast guard “law enforcement” patrols near Taiwan’s outlying islets.
- Taiwan’s civil aviation agency reported widespread disruption, with hundreds of international flights affected and about 100,000 passengers expected to be stranded.