China Appears to Warn Japan, U.S. with Drills Around Taiwan |
By Keiichiro Azuma and Masatsugu Sonoda / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondents
18:44 JST, December 30, 2025
Japan and the United States were on alert as the Chinese military began conducting exercises around Taiwan on Monday, the first such drills since April. China has hinted that the drills are meant to counter not only Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s administration, which it views as an enemy, but also the United States and Japan, which it expects may interfere in a Taiwan contingency.
Multiple propaganda posters for the exercise that were released on Monday by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) featured imagery of military aircraft and naval vessels being blocked from approaching Taiwan’s main island from the east.
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“It is a stern warning against ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces and external interference,” said a spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, clad in camouflage, in a social media post.
It was the fourth time for China to announce military drills encircling Taiwan since President Lai Ching-te took office in May last year. While China has previously criticized Lai as a “separatist,” it now also appears to be targeting “external interference.”
Although China has........