Taiwan says China using military drills to threaten neighbors

Taiwan's government condemned China for staging military drills around Taiwan on Monday (December 29), deploying troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery for its "Justice Mission 2025" exercises, as the island scrambled soldiers and showcased U.S.-made hardware to rehearse repelling an attack.

"The Chinese People’s Liberation Army conducting targeted military exercises around our country not only brutally undermines the current state of security and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, but is also an open challenge to international law and international order," Karen Kuo, a spokesperson for Taiwan's Presidential Office said in a video statement.

This marks China's sixth major round of war games since then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the democratically governed island in 2022, and follows a rise in Chinese rhetoric over Beijing's territorial claims after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

The exercises began 11 days after the U.S. announced $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever weapons package for the island, drawing protest from China's defence ministry and warnings the military would "take forceful measures" in response.

Production: Fabian Hamacher/Reuters