China’s military launches live-fire exercise in escalation of blockade drills near Taiwan

CNN — 

The Chinese military staged a second day of exercises around Taiwan on Wednesday, launching live-fire strikes in the East China Sea and practicing blockade operations near crucial shipping lanes to the east and west of the island.

China has ramped up the frequency and complexity of its military drills around Taiwan in recent years – exercises that analysts say serve both as critical preparation and strategic cover for a potential future invasion of the self-governing island.

On Wednesday, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched exercises – codenamed “Strait Thunder-2025A” – in the middle and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait, focusing on testing the troops’ capabilities of “joint blockade and control” and “precision strikes on key targets,” the Eastern Theater Command’s spokesperson Senior Colonel Shi Yi said in a statement.

As part of the drills, the ground army of the Eastern Theater Command conducted “live-fire long-range strike drills in designated areas of the East China Sea,” Shi said.

“The drills involved precision strikes on simulated targets such as key ports and energy facilities and achieved the intended results,” he added.

A video released by the Eastern Theater Command showed PLA soldiers driving military trucks mounted with rocket artillery systems into position under the cover of night. Later, the footage captured rockets streaking into the sky before striking simulated coastal targets.

The PLA did not specify the location of the live-fire drills, but China’s Maritime Safety Administration issued a notice on Tuesday designating a restricted area along the coast of Zhejiang province, banning vessels from entering between 6 p.m. Tuesday and 6 p.m. Thursday due to “military operations.”

Meanwhile, to the east of Taiwan, China’s Shandong aircraft carrier group conducted exercises with PLA naval and air forces, Shi said in a separate statement.

Those drills focused on “ship-aircraft coordination, regional air superiority, and strikes against sea and land targets,” with an emphasis on “multi-dimensional blockade capabilities,” according to the statement.

Taiwan’s defense ministry denounced the drills as “aggressive, provocative, and irresponsible” on Wednesday, adding that the island’s military will remain on high alert.

“Beijing’s reckless provocation of regional tensions, using global security and prosperity as bargaining chips, reveals its hegemonic mindset – one that treats lives as expendable and dismisses international rules altogether,” the ministry said in a statement.

Wednesday’s drills came a day after the PLA conducted surprise joint exercises involving its army, navy, air force and rocket force from multiple directions around Taiwan, just days after US defense chief Pete Hegseth vowed to counter “China’s aggression” on his first visit to Asia.

The United States, Taiwan’s biggest international backer, condemned what it called “China’s irresponsible threats and military pressure operations near Taiwan.”

“China’s escalating military intimidation tactics only serve to exacerbate tensions and undermine cross-Strait peace and stability,” the State Department said in a statement.