Welcome to “Current Affairs Scan”. I am Jin Ran.
With Christmas just over, the new year of 2026 is around the corner. Whether in the West or the East, it’s a time to relax and not be restless. However, today the Chinese Communist Party suddenly launched a large-scale military exercise around Taiwan, which is said to be the largest exercise in recent years, causing a stir in the Taiwan Strait.
On December 29th, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Communist Party announced the so-called “Just Mission 2025” exercise, covering multiple branches of the military including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force. The focus of this exercise is on sea and air combat readiness, seizing comprehensive control, blockading important ports and areas, and three-dimensional deterrent.
In simpler terms, it’s basically a practice on how to surround Taiwan, block their ports, target key locations, and see if they can scare off the American and Japanese forces if they come to help. The exercise is scheduled from 8 am to 6 pm on December 30th. Five exercise areas have been announced, and compared to the previous exercises, the range of the exercise areas has been gradually expanding, approaching Taiwan’s territorial waters. This time, the five major exercise areas completely overlap with Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone.
According to the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, the Chinese Navy deployed the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan, as well as the Type 052C destroyer Changchun and the Type 054A frigate Anyang, with 14 Coast Guard ships also spotted. However, there was no aircraft carrier involved this time.
Furthermore, 89 Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan, with 67 of them breaching into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone, including fighter jets, bombers, and support aircraft. Chinese missile forces also participated, simulating attacks on Taiwan’s Hualien Jiashan Air Force Base, Kaohsiung Zuoying Naval Base, and even the Ministry of National Defense headquarters of the Republic of China. Unlike before, China openly stated that the exercise was to “prevent foreign military intervention,” directly naming the United States and Japan.
Taiwan’s response has been prompt as usual. The Ministry of National Defense set up an emergency response center, immediately authorizing the Taiwan Navy’s 62nd Special Task Force, Air Force Command, and frontline combat units to respond according to established rules of engagement. The video of Taiwan’s military’s emergency response to the Chinese Communist Party’s exercise is worth watching.
Notably, Taiwan’s indigenously-produced Hsiung Feng III supersonic anti-ship missiles, nicknamed “Carrier Killers”, have been deployed to the Hengchun Peninsula, targeting the Chinese fleet in the southern Taiwan Strait and the Bashi Channel. Meanwhile, the Hai Feng Brigade on the east coast has also deployed Hsiung Feng III missiles in Hualien Harbor. Originally equipped on warships, the Hsiung Feng III can now be rapidly mobilized on land and has been modified to increase its range to 300 to 400 kilometers, effectively covering the entire Taiwan Strait and the surrounding waters of Taiwan.
The Taiwanese Navy is monitoring Chinese military actions in various locations. A photo released by Taiwan shows the view from the Taiwan Tian Dan Hao warship closely monitoring the Chinese 054A frigate Anyang.
Taiwan’s strategy seems to be a level playing field monitoring approach. As for the Chinese Coast Guard ships participating in the exercise, Taiwan is countering with their Coast Guard ships. The play is a performance of “mutual respect” and “meeting each other as equals.”
The Taiwan Air Force’s F-16V fighter jets monitoring the Chinese Air Force is even more intriguing. Taiwan released two photos that have sparked strong reactions across the strait. One shows a Taiwanese F-16 fighter jet equipped with an advanced Sniper Targeting Pod, aiming at a Chinese KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft. Normally, the early warning aircraft should be stationed in the rear, but perhaps out of a flaunting mentality, China flew it to the front line for display, resulting in being locked by Taiwan’s F-16. The other photo shows the locking of a Chinese J-16 fighter jet. Being locked by the Sniper Pod means the ability to launch missiles and destroy the target immediately.
Interestingly, while Taiwan’s military demonstrated the locking of Chinese military aircraft, China is likely unable to retaliate with equivalent footage aside from some staged and artificially enhanced propaganda videos. However, the image of being a “powerful country” has long been inflated and questioned. Under these circumstances, showing any sign of weakness is unthinkable.
Therefore, China made a big move! CCTV released a video that triggered the enthusiasm of many Chinese nationalists. The video claims to show a drone from the People’s Liberation Army flying over Taipei, “overlooking” Taipei 101, but shortly after the video was posted online, it was exposed as a fabricated image using post-production AI effects. When recalling China’s previous use of U.S. military equipment in its propaganda videos, it reveals how China indiscriminately approaches propaganda warfare. No wonder some netizens mock: why forgo the richness of China’s eight culinary traditions and resort to such deceptive tactics now?
It’s clear that China’s military exercise around Taiwan is a response to the recent unprecedented announcement by the United States to provide $11 billion in military sales to Taiwan, including a substantial amount of Harpoon missiles and U.S. Army tactical missiles, anti-armor missiles, and attack drones to enhance Taiwan’s defense capabilities.
Additionally, last month, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Kono warned that the Taiwan issue could threaten Japan’s survival and potentially prompt the use of collective self-defense rights. Strategically, this represents an escalation of China’s “gray zone” tactics – not directly engaging in war but simulating blockades through military exercises, testing Taiwan’s defense capabilities, depleting Taiwanese resources, while also creating a psychological effect of alarm in Taiwan’s defense readiness. The unexpected incidents that occurred during Taiwan’s emergency preparedness should prompt the Taiwan military to reflect on its readiness and resources. For example, in Kaohsiung, an old model M60 tank experienced smoking faults while driving on the road.
In response to China’s military exercises around Taiwan, the United States continues to maintain outward calm but ongoing military support, further accelerating the strengthening of its Indo-Pacific deployments. A surprising move came from the Japanese Coast Guard with a Dassault Falcon 2000 reconnaissance aircraft taking off from Naha Base in Okinawa, heading southwest towards Taiwan. This particular aircraft model is usually used for maritime patrol and reconnaissance missions – the intentions behind this deployment are evident.
According to reports, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov indicated Russia’s support for China if the situation in the Taiwan Strait escalates.
On the 28th, Trump and Zelensky met at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump personally greeted Zelensky at the door, instantly capturing global attention.
Although the U.S.-Ukraine meeting did not take place at the White House, it was a high-profile event, with 7 Ukrainian officials in attendance, including President Zelensky, the Minister of Economy, Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff, and Secretary of the Defense Committee. Clearly, the focus of the meeting was on security and economic reconstruction. On the U.S. side, Trump brought 8 key figures, including Secretary of State Rubio, Secretary of War Higginbotham, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Kane. This was no casual conversation.
While initially publicized, high-level meetings like these meant to discuss final details are not suitable for a large group of inquisitive reporters. An interesting moment occurred during the meeting when Trump asked the journalists to step outside the conference room, jesting: “Would you like to have a meal? Or would you consider what’s provided to you as bribery?”
Regarding the outcomes, Trump stated in a subsequent joint press conference that the U.S. and Ukraine were “very close to reaching an agreement.” Subsequent talks with Putin were productive, and he mentioned the possibility of visiting Ukraine and giving a speech to the Ukrainian Parliament for the first time. Zelensky provided more concrete details, revealing that they had reached 90% agreement on a 20-point peace plan and had completed a 100% consensus on a U.S.-Ukraine security agreement.
When asked about remaining thorny issues, Trump candidly mentioned that territorial disputes were the most challenging aspect, especially regarding the control of Donbas. Zelensky responded by emphasizing Ukraine’s clear stance: compliance with the constitution, maintaining sovereignty, and territorial integrity, but also suggesting that a referendum could be part of the plan and agreeing to a withdrawal from the front lines – on the condition that Russia does the same.
Regarding Putin’s feedback, Trump revealed that to facilitate a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement, both sides had agreed to establish two working groups, one handling security issues and the other economic matters, with specific details set to be hammered out in early January next year. Clearly, Trump is trying every means to bring Putin to the negotiating table. Looking ahead, Trump indicated that he would continue to finalize some details with Zelensky. If progress continues smoothly, the war may end in a matter of weeks. Trump does not want an endless conflict and stated that negotiations had reached the final stage, with either an agreement or the potential for a prolonged conflict with millions of casualties.
In my view, the chances of resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict through negotiations are uncertain, as it largely depends on the attitudes and genuine intentions of Putin and Zelensky – if both truly want to end it, they could do so immediately. However, as the saying goes: one thought can lead to heaven, one thought can lead to hell.
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