BEIJING — China launched major military drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, simulating attacks and maritime blockades, in what Beijing called a warning after Taiwan's president labeled China a hostile foreign force.
A spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army said the joint exercises involve army, navy, air force and rocket force units, which would "close in on Taiwan Island from multiple directions." It's unclear how long the exercises will run.
Chinese ships and warplanes regularly operate around Taiwan and in the Taiwan Strait, but the last large-scale, coordinated exercises took place in October in response to another perceived provocation by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.
Taiwan is a democracy of about 23 million people that has been self-governed for decades, but Beijing considers it a part of China that must be "reunified" with the mainland, by force if necessary.
Chinese Senior Colonel Shi Yi said in a statement the exercises that started on Tuesday mainly focus on sea-air combat readiness patrols, "joint seizure of comprehensive superiority," assault on maritime and ground targets, and blockade of "key areas and sea lanes."
The Chinese government's Taiwan Affairs Office said the exercises were "resolute punishment" for what it called provocations by Taiwan President Lai, who Beijing believes is a supporter of independence for the island.
"'Taiwan independence' means war, and promoting 'Taiwan independence' means pushing the people of Taiwan toward the perils of war," Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said in a statement.
"Our will to resolve the Taiwan issue and complete national reunification is as solid as a rock, our ability is unshakeable, and we will not allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from China," Zhu said.
Since taking office, Lai has been promoting policies he hopes will gird Taiwan against China – militarily, as well as in areas like cyberspace and influence operations. He has also sought to boost Taiwan's defense budget.
In a speech on March 13, Lai articulated 17 steps to push back against Beijing, and dialed up his rhetoric, labelling China a "foreign hostile force."
"The greatest consensus in Taiwanese society is to defend democracy, maintain sovereignty, and uphold our democratic and free way of life, firmly opposing Taiwan's annexation by China," Lai said.
The Chinese exercises around Taiwan follow a visit to the region by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week, and a Washington Post report that Hegseth has reoriented the U.S. military to prioritize deterring China from trying to seize Taiwan.
Taiwan's defense ministry said on X it was monitoring Chinese ships, including an aircraft carrier, that were detected nearby from March 29.
It said China "continues to escalate military activities in the #Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region, intensifying military threats, challenging the international order and regional stability, thereby becoming the greatest 'troublemaker' in the eyes of the international community."
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