China Begins Second Day of Military Exercise with Live-Fire Drills

TaiwanPlus News

China began the second day of its "Justice Mission 2025" exercise with live-fire drills just off Taiwan’s coast. Taiwan's defense ministry also recorded 130 warplanes near the country between Monday and Tuesday morning. The drills have drawn strong reactions from both at home and overseas.

Transcript

00:00Records are being broken around Taiwan as the Defense Ministry spots 130 Chinese military

00:08aircraft operating near its shores, the highest single-day total this year. From Monday to Tuesday

00:14morning, 90 aircraft came closer to Taiwan's main island, and 32 naval vessels were spotted nearby.

00:21The surge comes as the Defense Ministry deals with Day 2 of China's Just-in-Mission 2025

00:27exercises, which on Tuesday included Li-Fi drills.

00:49These new drills are similar to China's 2024 Joint Sword A and B exercises, both of which

00:56rehearse blockade-style drills. But this time, China's military appears even closer to Taiwan.

01:02The Chinese military even says it entered Taiwan's 12-nautical-mile waters,

01:07a claimed Taiwanese lawmakers dispute.

01:09Taiwan has deployed forces across the country to different areas of activity. Up north,

01:37armored artillery was put on alerts. In central and eastern Taiwan, tanks were readied,

01:43and in the south, prepared to respond quickly.

01:47Taiwan's Air Force has deployed F-16s to monitor Chinese fighter jets.

01:51And at sea, Taiwan Coast Guard is driving off trespassing vessels.

01:55The sudden uptake in tension has attracted international attention. Europe's Interparliamentary

02:09Alliance on China has condemned China for what it calls deliberate escalation of coercive pressure

02:15against Taiwan. For his part, U.S. President Donald Trump had this to say.

02:20Well, I have a great relationship with President Xi, and he hasn't told me anything about it. I

02:26certainly have seen it, but he hasn't told me anything about it, and I don't believe he's going to be doing it.

02:34Although scheduled to end early Tuesday evening, China's drills could have far-reaching effects,

02:39and have re-ignited Taiwan's debates over a stalled special defense budget. But whether the firing of

02:46Chinese guns just miles of Taiwan's shores is enough to break the deadlock remains to be seen.

02:51Fu Hua Hong and Ellen Lu for Taiwan Plus

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