Overview
- In his New Year speech, Xi Jinping called reunification with Taiwan inevitable and invoked kinship across the strait while highlighting advances in AI, domestic semiconductors, humanoid robots, drones, the Tianwen-2 probe, and an aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic catapult.
- The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said the "Mission der Gerechtigkeit 2025" drills concluded after testing joint operational capabilities, and it pledged to remain on alert to counter Taiwanese independence and outside interference.
- Japan and Australia condemned the maneuvers as destabilizing, and the EU, France, and Germany warned the drills threatened international peace and stability.
- China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the criticism as irresponsible and described the actions as necessary to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to spokesperson Lin Jian.
- Observers linked the exercises to recent U.S. arms approvals for Taiwan, which is democratically governed and rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim.