On December 29, 2025, the Eastern Theater of the People’s Liberation Army of China conducted live-fire military exercises in the vicinity of the Taiwan Strait. The spokesperson for the Presidential Office of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Guo Yahui, expressed strong condemnation of this action. In response to the unilateral provocations by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), both the Taiwanese military and national security units were fully prepared and had comprehensive control to ensure the safety of the country and its people. Taiwanese citizens are urged to rest assured.
The CCP’s Eastern Theater Command announced that the exercises would take place in areas around the Taiwan Strait, northern Taiwan, southwest Taiwan, southeast Taiwan, and to the east of Taiwan starting on the 29th. The PLA also declared that live ammunition drills would be conducted in five designated maritime and airspace areas around Taiwan from 8 am to 6 pm on the 30th.
Guo Yahui emphasized that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region is a consensus of the international community. She stated that the CCP’s actions not only blatantly disrupted the current security and stability in the region but also posed a direct challenge to international law and order. Taiwan strongly condemns the CCP’s disregard for international norms and its use of military intimidation to threaten neighboring countries.
In recent months, the international community has been closely monitoring the CCP’s authoritarian expansion and military threats in the region. The CCP has been escalating tensions through various harassing and coercive activities near island chains like Japan and the Philippines, causing regional instability.
Guo Yahui called on the CCP to exercise rational self-restraint and immediately cease irresponsible provocations to avoid miscalculating the situation and becoming a troublemaker disrupting regional peace. The Taiwanese government will continue to collaborate closely with regional partners to uphold the rules-based international order and maintain peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific.
The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China issued a press release stating that the CCP has been persistently engaging in various military provocations, disinformation campaigns, and complex threats near Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region, escalating regional tensions. These aggressive actions are the main cause of the peace disruption in the region.
The defense ministry strongly condemned the CCP’s irrational provocations and established a crisis response center. In accordance with the regulations for handling sudden situations during military readiness, appropriate forces were deployed to respond and conduct immediate combat drills to safeguard freedom, democracy, and the sovereignty of the Republic of China.
The defense ministry reaffirmed that defending democracy and freedom is not provocation, and the existence of the Republic of China is not an excuse for aggression. The targeted military exercises by the CCP further confirm its aggressive nature as the greatest disruptor of peace, emphasizing Taiwan’s urgent need to accelerate the development of a highly robust and comprehensive defense capability.
The defense ministry stressed that “peace through strength” is the way to achieve true peace. Faced with the serious threats from the CCP, the Taiwanese military adheres to the principle of being prepared for the worst while not underestimating the enemy’s capabilities. All military personnel will remain highly alert, standing ready to take concrete actions to protect the values of democracy and freedom, and safeguard the sovereignty and security of the nation and its people.