Overview
- China’s Eastern Theater Command said it completed two days of “Justice Mission 2025” live-fire maneuvers encircling Taiwan that simulated blockades and joint strikes.
- Taiwan condemned the exercises as highly provocative, reported rockets falling within its 24‑nautical‑mile zone, and kept emergency response centers active even as Chinese vessels began to pull back.
- In a New Year address, President Lai Ching-te pledged to strengthen deterrence and pressed legislators to approve an additional $40 billion in defense spending.
- The drills closely followed a record $11.1 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan, which Chinese statements and state media invoked to justify the show of force.
- Regional partners including Japan, Australia and the Philippines criticized the operations as destabilizing, while Xi’s address highlighted advances in AI and chips and cast unification as inevitable.