BEIJING, China — China "successfully completed" military drills around Taiwan that included live-fire exercises aimed at simulating a blockade of key ports and assaults on maritime targets, its military said on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) said it had "successfully completed" the drills, code-named "Justice Mission 2025". Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te warned on Wednesday that Chinese drills targeting the island "are not an isolated incident" and pose "significant risks" to the region. International criticismThere has been a chorus of international criticism of China's drills. Japan said on Wednesday that China's military exercises "increase tensions" across the Taiwan Strait, and that it had expressed its "concerns" to Beijing.

Source: Philippine Star January 01, 2026 01:35 UTC