Chinese military drills encircle Taiwan

Taiwan’s military remained on high alert Tuesday local time after the Chinese military sent forces to conduct drills around the sovereign island. The drill, dubbed Justice Mission 2025, blockaded key ports and other critical areas for control of the island nation. The drill sites encircled Taiwan and included live fire, troop deployments, warships, and fighter jets. The Taiwanese military conducted its own joint air and sea exercises in response, adding that the country’s coast guard remained on high alert. It wasn’t immediately clear when the ongoing drills were set to end.

Why did China run the drills? China meant the drills to be a punitive deterrence against separatists who aim to forcefully separate Taiwan from China, according to a Monday statement from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian. The military protected China’s territorial integrity and sovereignty against those seeking independence through militarization, he added. Taiwan is already turning into a powder keg, and anyone who helps arm the country will only push the region closer to conflict, Lin said.

The spokesman’s comments seemed to allude to the $11 billion arms deal Taiwan made with the United States less than two weeks ago. Recognizing China’s oversight of Taiwan is a cornerstone of any diplomatic relationship China has, Lin wrote in a separate Monday statement.

Why does China claim ownership over Taiwan? The island’s government was established in 1949 when the leaders of the Republic of China, after losing a civil war to the Chinese Communist Party, retreated to the island. China views the island as a Chinese territory and regularly runs aerial and live-fire drills near Taiwan as an intimidation tactic. However, the country functions as an independent, sovereign nation and is internationally recognized as such.

Dig deeper: Read Liz Lykins’ report on Taiwan’s recent arms deal with the United States.