In brief
In a move signaling escalating tensions, China will conduct military drills around Taiwan aimed at simulating the seizure and blockade of key areas. The exercises, scheduled for Tuesday, are a direct response to Taiwan's efforts to enhance its military capabilities and come in the wake of the US announcing substantial arms sales to Taiwan. The Chinese military's actions are framed as a warning against any moves toward Taiwanese independence, asserting that 'all those plotting independence will be annihilated'. Taiwan's leadership has condemned the drills, perceiving them as a violation of international norms, while affirming its commitment to maintaining the status quo and boosting its defense mechanisms.
China has announced it will hold military drills around Taiwan simulating the seizure and blockade of the island's key areas, as a warning against separatist forces.
The army, navy, air force and rocket force would be dispatched for the drills scheduled for Tuesday, which include live-fire exercises, the Chinese military said.
Codenamed Justice Mission 2025, the drills are taking place days after the US announced the sale of one of its largest weapons packages to Taiwan worth $11bn (£8.2bn). That move drew sharp protest from Beijing which in turn sanctioned US defence firms.
Taiwan's push to ramp up its defence this year has also angered Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory.
Taiwan's presidential office has criticised the upcoming Chinese drills, calling them a challenge to international norms.
Taiwan's defence ministry said that they detected Chinese aircraft and ships around Taiwan on Monday morning, and have deployed their own forces and missile systems to monitor the situation. Its forces are on high alert to defend Taiwan and protect our people, the ministry said.
In a post on Weibo, the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command - in charge of the Taiwan Strait - described the upcoming military exercise as a shield of justice.
Beijing has accused Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te of pursuing Taiwan independence. The president maintains Taiwan is already a sovereign nation and therefore has no need to formally declare independence.
On Sunday, Lai said in a local television interview that Taiwan needed to keep raising the difficulty so [China] can never meet the standard for an invasion.
Polls consistently show that most Taiwanese people want the status quo, meaning they neither want to unify with China, nor to formally declare independence.
The drills this week in the Taiwan Strait would also aim at deterrence outside the island chain, China's military said.
