Lai says China's drills 'not behavior of a responsible world power'

Taipei, Dec. 30 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Tuesday urged unity among Taiwanese as China's latest large-scale military drills around Taiwan entered their second day, accusing Beijing of escalating regional tensions in a manner unbecoming of a responsible world power.

"The Chinese Communist Party has continued to escalate military tension in the region, which is not the behavior of a responsible world power," he said in a Facebook post.

"Maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific is an international consensus, and Taiwan, as a responsible regional partner, will continue to uphold this goal," Lai said.

"Taiwan will not provoke a confrontation, nor seek conflict with China," he added.

• 90 PLA warplanes cross Taiwan Strait median line as China stages drills

The president thanked service personnel and coast guards for responding to what he described as threats and coercion from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) with "a strong sense of duty and a high level of professionalism."

Meanwhile, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the government is prepared to handle all contingencies and that the public should not be alarmed by the latest drills.

He also called on opposition parties to swiftly review and pass the central government budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, along with a proposed eight-year NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.85 billion) special defense budget.

The PLA announced early Monday a new round of joint exercises around Taiwan, code-named "Justice Mission-2025," as a "stern warning to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," PLA Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Senior Colonel Shi Yi (施毅) said in a statement.

• PLA drill areas within Taiwan's territorial waters: Taiwan military

The PLA Eastern Theater Command also announced it would conduct live-fire drills in waters and airspace around Taiwan from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday. It warned vessels and aircraft not to enter the designated drill areas.

Taiwan's military said Monday that parts of all five zones designated by the PLA for live-fire exercises Tuesday are within Taiwan's territorial waters.

On Tuesday, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed that the Fujian-based Long-Range Rocket Artillery forces of the PLA's Eastern Theater Command conducted a round of live-fire drills, with rockets landing in a PLA-designated drill zone north of Taiwan, near the 24-nautical-mile zone.

The Taiwanese military employs joint surveillance measures to closely monitor the exercises, the MND said in a press release.