China's People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command launches Just Mission 2025 live-fire drills around Taiwan

Key facts

• The Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command announced 'Just Mission 2025' live-fire drills to the north and southwest of the Taiwan Strait, involving air, navy and rocket troops.
• Taiwan detected at least 14 Chinese naval vessels, 14 coast guard ships and 89 aircraft, 67 of which entered Taiwan’s response zones.
• The drills included fighter jets, bombers, unmanned aerial vehicles and long-range rockets, and practised strikes on land and maritime targets.
• China stated the drills serve 'as a serious warning to Taiwan Independence separatist forces and external interference forces'.
• Taiwan’s defence ministry posted a video showcasing US-made HIMARS rocket systems capable of hitting coastal targets in China’s Fujian province.
• The exercises forced diversion of commercial flights, impacting more than 100,000 international and 6,000 domestic passengers.
• China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian warned that 'external forces attempting to use Taiwan to contain China and arm Taiwan will only embolden pro-independence arrogance'.
• Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te said the island must 'keep raising the difficulty so that China can never meet that standard' for invasion.