China on Tuesday continued large-scale military exercises around Taiwan for a second consecutive day, stating that the drills are intended as a strong warning to “Taiwan separatist forces” and the “external powers” supporting them. The exercises, named Justice Mission 2025, are being conducted under the Chinese military’s Eastern Theatre Command.
On the second day of the drills, the People’s Liberation Army deployed air force, naval and rocket force units around Taiwan, carrying out live-fire exercises across maritime and airspace domains. Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said China would not tolerate any attempts to challenge its core interests and warned countries seeking to contain China through Taiwan to abandon what he called “illusions.”
🇺🇸🇨🇳🇹🇼 CHINA'S MESSAGE TO AMERICA: STOP ARMING TAIWAN OR ELSE
China launched its largest military exercises around Taiwan yesterday in response to Trump's $11 billion arms sale to the island.
Beijing is making it clear they're not thrilled about American weapons flowing to… pic.twitter.com/YQiQFZHtM2
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 30, 2025
The drills come amid heightened regional tensions following the announcement by US President Donald Trump of an arms package worth about 11.1 billion dollars for Taiwan, considered the largest weapons deal in the island’s history. Comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting Japan’s military may intervene in the event of an attack on Taiwan have further angered Beijing.
Taiwan strongly condemned the exercises, with its Defence Ministry describing China as the “greatest disruptor of peace.” Taiwan has placed its armed forces on the highest level of alert in response to the situation.
The military drills have disrupted international air traffic over the Taiwan Strait, forcing the diversion of several flight routes. Nearly 100,000 international passengers have been affected, with around 850 international flights and 80 domestic services cancelled. Posters released by the People’s Liberation Army carrying slogans such as Shield of Justice and Smashing Illusion warned of serious consequences if external powers intervene in the Taiwan issue, further escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.