China flexes blockade capabilities near Taiwan

On the second day of Beijing’s drills, the military carries out a live-fire show of force.

- JOHNSON LAI AND KANIS LEUNG

A TAIWANESE air force Mirage-2000 fighter jet at an airbase in Hsinchu.

China’s People’s Liberation Army staged a second day of large-scale military drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, unleashing a live-fire show of force as part of what it called “Justice Mission 2025” to demonstrate its ability to deter any external support for the island it claims as part of its sovereign territory.

Taiwanese officials said some of China’s live rounds landed closer to the island than before.

The maneuvers increased tension around the Taiwan Strait as 2025 drew to a close, but the impact extended beyond military pressure into everyday life. Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration was notified that seven temporary “dangerous zones” had been set up around the strait. The schedules of Taiwan's four international airports on Tuesday afternoon showed over 150 international and domestic flights had revised times, delays or cancellations.

Xinhua, China’s official news agency, posted a commentary late Monday saying the drills sent an unequivocal message: that Beijing is always ready to prevent anything that tries to split Taiwan from China. Each escalation, it said, would be met with stronger countermeasures.

“By currying favor with the United States through obsequious loyalty gestures and promoting arms purchases, the DPP is binding the entire island of Taiwan to its catastrophic secessionist chariot, disregarding public opinion,” it wrote, referring to Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party.