Taiwan military remains on alert as China says drills concluded

Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Wednesday it remains on alert after China announced that its People's Liberation Army (PLA) had concluded military drills around Taiwan.

Given the continued presence of a considerable number of Chinese aircraft and vessels within Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the MND said Taiwan's military has finished adjusting its joint-service deployments and is maintaining its capability to respond appropriately.

"China's repeated acts of military intimidation threaten regional security and stability and have drawn condemnation from democratic partners in the international community," the MND said in a statement after PLA Eastern Theater Command Spokesman Li Xi (李熹) announced at 6 p.m. that the "Justice Mission-2025" exercises had ended.

"Taiwan's armed forces will continue to respond in a calm, measured and controlled manner, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty, democratic freedoms, and the lives and property of the people," the MND said.

The Eastern Theater Command said Monday that the drills would be conducted in the Taiwan Strait and areas north, southwest, southeast and east of Taiwan, with live-fire exercises held Tuesday in five designated zones near the island. The drills were meant to serve as a "stern warning to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," according to PLA officials.

The MND said Tuesday that the PLA fired 27 rockets during the second day of the drills, with 10 landing in waters within Taiwan's 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone, the closest ever Chinese live-fire activity to Taiwan.

Taiwan's military detected 17 PLA naval vessels and 77 military aircraft operating around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday. Of the 77 warplanes, 35 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, according to MND figures.

On Wednesday, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said that China's latest drills around Taiwan were not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of escalating coercion.

Speaking at a promotion ceremony for senior military officers, Lai said China's authoritarian expansion has increased the risk to regional stability and affected global shipping, trade and peace.

The European Union, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia and several Asian countries, including Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, have voiced concern over China's drills near Taiwan and urged restraint to avoid further escalation.