Taipei, January 1 - In late December 2025, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) launched large-scale military drills codenamed "Justice Mission-2025" around Taiwan, marking a significant escalation in cross-strait tensions. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported detecting 130 PLA aircraft, including warplanes and drones, along with 14 naval vessels and eight official ships operating in the vicinity over a 24-hour period from December 29 to 30. Notably, 90 Chinese aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, an unofficial demarcation that Beijing does not recognize but had historically respected more consistently, entering Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the northern, central, southwestern, and eastern sectors. These incursions represented one of the highest single-day crossings in recent years, underscoring the intensity of the PLA's air operations during the exercise.
The drills featured coordinated multi-domain activities, including sea-air combat readiness patrols, joint strikes, and blockade simulations targeting key ports and strategic areas. Live-fire exercises were conducted in designated zones across the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, with rocket launches reported near Taiwan's contiguous zone. Taiwan authorities described the PLA's actions as harassment aimed at pressuring the island, while the exercises disrupted regional aviation, forcing rerouting of international flights and cancellations of domestic services to outlying islands. The Taiwanese military responded by deploying aircraft, naval vessels, and coastal missile systems for monitoring and readiness, activating emergency protocols to counter potential threats.
This surge in PLA activity, with 90 aircraft breaching the Taiwan Strait median line, highlighted Beijing's growing assertiveness in the region, as the median line crossings effectively challenged long-standing informal boundaries. Although the total of 130 aircraft fell short of the record 153 detected during the 2024 Joint Sword exercises, the scale demonstrated advanced integration of air, sea, and rocket forces.
As the drills concluded on December 31, Taiwan remained vigilant amid an ongoing PLA presence, reinforcing the persistent volatility in the Taiwan Strait. Such large-scale deployments, including repeated Chinese aircraft incursions into Taiwan's ADIZ, continue to raise concerns over regional stability and the risk of miscalculation in this critical geopolitical flashpoint.