China launches 'Justice Mission 2025' war games around Taiwan

Bangkok Post Group

China's military moved army, naval, air force and artillery units around Taiwan on Monday (December 29) for its "Justice Mission 2025" drills, as the island vowed to defend democracy and mobilized troops to rehearse repelling a potential Chinese attack. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00China staged live-fire drills around Taiwan on Monday.

00:04Beijing deployed troops, warships, fighter jets and artillery for its Justice Mission 2025 exercises.

00:11The country's military said it had concentrated forces to the north and southwest of the Taiwan

00:16Strait and carried out live-firing and simulated strikes on land and maritime targets. It added

00:22that the drills would continue on Tuesday and include exercises to blockade the island's main

00:27ports and encircle it. The exercises began 11 days after the U.S. announced $11.1 billion in

00:33arms sales to Taiwan, the largest-ever weapons package for the island. They marked China's

00:38sixth major round of war games since 2022, when then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the

00:44island. It also follows sharper rhetoric from Beijing after Japanese Prime Minister Sanai

00:49Takeichi warned that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a military response from Tokyo.

00:55Taiwan's government condemned the exercises. Presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo said

01:00the drills threaten security in the region.

01:04Maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific is a high consensus

01:08of the international community. The Chinese People's Liberation Army conducting targeted

01:12notary exercises around our country not only brutally undermines the current state of security

01:17and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, but is also an open challenge

01:21international law and international order. Our country expresses strong condemnation of the

01:26Chinese authorities, disregarding international norms, and using military activities and means

01:31to threaten neighboring countries. Taiwan's defense ministry said its military was on high alert

01:36and poised to carry out rapid response exercises. Those exercises are designed to move troops swiftly

01:42in case China suddenly turns one of its drills around the island into an attack.

01:46This Tsaipei resident appeared unfazed by China's military exercises.

01:54I think these drills are just meant to scare us, to intimidate us. Similar drills have happened before.

02:00As ordinary citizens, I think all we can do is take care of ourselves, do our jobs well, and live our lives well.

02:07Taiwan rejects China's claimed sovereignty, maintaining that only its people can decide the

02:16islands feature.

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